Samurai Banzai RELOAD: Final Cut
by Elite-Plushie
Summary: Relive the harrowing first installment of Fuji's epic journey in SBR: Final Cut! Includes previously deleted scenes, streamlined time index, and more! Current Update: Final Volume: Night of Wrath.
1. Overture

Overture

No one knew how long it had been since the last lightshad flickeredout. Total blackness was all that existed, with the only assurance that one was still alive being the solidity of the ashen ground below. Occasionally, there would be a flare in the distance, a plume of fire that would arc into the black sky, bathing the night in a deathly red glow before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

If circumstances were normal, the group of people holding hands and making their way through the murky darkness might have been relieved at the fleeting moments of visibility given by those jets of plasma, but with every flash, the travelers cringed in fear. Would they be found out? Were they the only ones even left alive? There was no way of knowing. They could only trust in the skill and wisdom of their leader, a young woman with long flowing locks of navy blue hair dressed in a black robe identical to those of her compatriots.

There were many reasons that they followed her, reasons other than the fact that she was the most powerful survivor of their ranks. She alone remembered the days of civilization, the days of blue skies, and the happy times before the betrayal of Spiritus. In this absolute darkness, however, sight and memory alike clouded over with dread. Each person held on to the hand in front of them to gain hope, and held out the other hand to the person behind to pass on that hope. None dared let go, because if they were the only ones left alive, that could mean only one thing.

The enemy would find them, and soon.

The group came to a halt at the behest of the woman in front. The man directly behind her, a boyish-looking fellow with several braids of black hair and a gaunt, yet tightened form spoke for the first time in what seemed like days, even though the disappearance of the sky had eliminated such concepts as day and night from the world.

"Is this the place?"

The woman kneeled carefully, feeling along the ground for an object she knew to be there. Her hand came in contact with a broken crystal fragment, which responded by illuminating the area in a cascade of bluish light. Several members of the group shielded their eyes from the blast as the light began to trace patterns across the ground, eventually forming a circle of strange, unearthly symbols and words in a language that had long since passed out of understanding.

"Hurry," the leader whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear. "We don't have any time left!"

Though frightened out of their wits and pushed past the point of exhaustion, the group assembled just as they had been taught to do so long ago. They formed two circles within the symbols, linked just as before by their hands. The leader took her place in the center and looked about to make sure that everyone was in position. This was the first time she had gotten a good look at them since the fallout. The woman was somewhat unnerved by their present state; torn clothes fashioned by a savage landscape and protruding ribs caused by near-starvation were all too commonplace among her once-proud brothers and sisters.

Now was not the time for pity or shame, however. The leader as well as everyone in the group knew that the flash of light had given them away. To say that time was of the essence would be an understatement. Time no longer existed for them.

Once again, the boy with black hair chose to speak. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"Doesn't matter," the woman responded crisply as she took her final position. "This is what we were born to do. If we can't make this work, than we're as good as dead anyway." Noting the alarmed look that crossed several of the group's faces, she made sure to add, "Just concentrate and everything will be fine."

Fine? Several of the people surrounding the woman would have laughed if they'd possessed the energy. That was a word they could no longer imagine, much less identify with.

At that point, however, all independent thought ceased. Every person focused their concentration onto the leader, and the light began to grow brighter, forming a small white orb above the blue-haired woman in the center. Her lips were moving, but no sound issued forth. After all, the incantation she was reciting was in the same language as the symbols on the ground. The words had no audible meaning, but when simply focused upon, they held the key to a higher power.

As the white orb of light continued to grow larger and brighter, several of the group began to shift nervously. Small rustles could be heard beyond the circle of light. The sounds were infrequent, but were soon joined by muted impacts that caused the very ground beneath to quake in terror. The leader continued with the incantation relentlessly, even as her compatriots fought every survival instinct in their bodies, using the last of their tattered wills to remain where they were. The sounds just kept getting louder, and then . . .

Silence.

The light above the leader continued to grow, and the sounds had completely stopped. Several of the group were about to sigh with relief when a gust of wind passed through them. Every person froze visibly. The sky was not the only thing which had ceased to exist in this world; wind had not been felt for several months. What had rushed through the group was not wind. It was breath.

There was a scream, a loud crunch, and then silence and blackness again. Closing their eyes and hoping fervently that it was all a dream, the group simply continued to focus concentration on the center. There was a second scream, then a third, a fourth and a fifth. The circle of brethren was disappearing into the night, but the woman in the center would stop for nothing. Just a few more passages to go . . .

However, before anyone truly realized it, the outer circle of people had completely vanished. The hunters lurking in the darkness were now forced to come into the light. The bluish-white glow revealed their grotesque faces inch by horrifying inch, passing over each scale of their reptilian muzzles like waves of water over the pebbles of a rocky beachside. Their deathly red eyes glowed with murderous intent, slit-like pupils narrowing before the orb in the center. Even worse, each face was larger than a full-grown elephant, each glistening fang over two human bodies in length.

Just as the enormous predators on all sides reared in for the kill, however, the woman in the center finished her work. The orb of light nearly exploded, casting radiance as clear as the sun at noontide across the entire area. Knowing the spell had entered its final stage and no longer needed their assistance, the inner circle of the group turned outward to face the enemy that had been revealed by the light. The brightness of it had actually driven back the massive reptiles for a moment, but the beasts recovered from their shock quickly. Lashing back toward the circle with their long necks, horned faces, and rows of serrated teeth, the predators assaulted their prey with renewed vigor. Several fell immediately due to their weakened state, but the rest fought doggedly on against the creatures that were easily a hundred times their size, driven on by the fact that the spell needed only a few more precious seconds to reach completion.

The woman in the center was about to join in as well when she was distracted by an incredible plume of fire that jetted from the rear of the enemy's lines. Several of the dragons had just saluted the presence of their own leader, causing the woman to stand ready for his assault. Sure enough, it came.

A new dragon literally vaulted over the heads of his brethren, his seven heads straining forward and bearing their fangs, his forearms stretching outward with claws the size of houses. One of the heads even smiled devilishly, calling out the name of the woman with bluish hair in a terrifying battle cry that echoed throughout the night.

"AMATERASU!"

The woman readied her defense, shouting the beast's own name in retaliation.

"ORTUS!"

The two combatants had nearly collided when the orb suddenly spread outward, encompassing the entire circle of light. Just as suddenly as it had expanded, the ball of light contracted inward, becoming as small as a pellet just before blinking out of existence. Everything that had been inside the circle disappeared along with it, even that which had been directly underground, leaving only a fractured crater in its wake.

(Begin First Reload)

Author's Notes:

This fanfiction is being done with permission by the creator of the Samurai Banzai webcomic as a sort of "alternate take" on the series concept (think like how an anime changes when converted from an OVA to a TV series and vice versa). It's important to remember that although SBR is a based on Samurai Banzai, all of the characters have been reworked and the plot is completely unrelated. None of the events that transpire in this fanfiction have anything to do with events that have, or will take place in the webcomic on which it is based.

The Samurai Banzai webcomic can be found at www. sbanzai. hcmrworld. com.


	2. Prelude

House of Maxwell Productions  
Presents

Samurai Banzai RELOAD

Volume 1 (Overture - Chapter 5)  
Children of Destiny

Based on the webcomic Samurai Banzai  
Copyright 2005 Briana Higgins

Prelude

The ice-cold rain fell in ferocious sheets from the total darkness that enveloped the sky. Wide plains of long grass swept back and forth in the night as the wind blew through the nearby hills, howling like a maddened beast. Despite the overwhelming presence of the harsh winter storm, rapid footfalls echoed in the distance.

Tanizaki Izumi felt as if her body was sinking further into the ground with every step. The heavy rain coupled with gale-force winds battered against her thin black clothes as she ran full-tilt into a rocky outcropping overlooking the plains. Sheltered for the moment, she swept a lock of jet black hair out of her eyes and desperately hoped that she had outrun her pursuer.

Everything had gone wrong. The target was supposed to be some drunken half-witted _ronin_ accompanied by a comparatively skilled swordswoman. Keeping that in mind, Izumi had waited until the absence of the swordswoman before making an attempt on the _ronin_'s life. That encounter had been . . .

Izumi's eyes involuntarily widened in the near total darkness. She remembered each stroke of that battle because each one had nearly killed her. That _ronin_ . . . he was some kind of madman . . .

>>>

"Takashi!"

Noriko's voice, though quite loud when she decided to use it, was all but silenced by the raging tempest.

"Takashi! Where are you!"

She was soon forced to bow down before the heavy rains, her straw hat failing miserably as a makeshift umbrella. It was no use. Wherever Takashi was out there, Noriko wasn't about to risk her life looking for him. He was a former samurai, after all. Surely he knew how to find shelter during a rainstorm.

Noriko suddenly realized that she herself possessed no viable protection from the torrential weather. She and Takashi had chased the ninja quite a distance from Hokusei Town. Getting back was out of the question; Noriko doubted even her own impeccable sense of direction when hampered by this kind of weather.

"Samurai-_san_!"

The voice was faint but definitely there. Noriko turned to see an elderly man standing outside a farmer's house.

"Samurai-_san_! You must take shelter!"

Walking calmly through the rain towards the glow of a fireplace inside the house, Noriko stopped just before entering. The elderly farmer looked up at her with great impatience displayed on his grizzled face.

"What are you waiting for? You'll catch your death out here!"

Noriko nodded. "My thanks to you."

>>>

Izumi knew what she had to do now. Failure was not an option. First, she would wait for the storm to pass, then renew her mission. She grimaced slightly at the storm raging just outside the shallow cave she had found. That attack on Ueda Takashi was sloppy. She had underestimated the target and paid the price in efficiency. Such mistakes could no longer exist for the Iga clan. Things had been bad enough since the clan's near-total defeat at the hands of Nobunaga Oda. They would now need a spotless record of success to regain their former business. Of course, if that were not motivation enough for a ninja on assignment, the penalty for returning to the Iga Castle in failure was death.

A strange feeling crept into Izumi as she sat down to rest. She had long ago learned to separate her personal feelings from her profession, but she harbored another reason to fight for the revival the Iga clan. A wistful look crossed her young face as she gazed into the torn night sky. _If the Iga clan dies, _she thought as pain lanced through her side where the _ronin_ had struck her with the flat of his blade. Images flashed through the ninja's mind, images of a time long since past when she and her sister had been nothing but lowly beggars in the streets. _Megumi . . . I won't let it happen again . . ._

The sound of a footstep outside the cave brought Izumi to her feet faster than one would think humanly possible. The _ronin_? How could he have . . .

There was no time to think. In the breadth of a second, Izumi made a mad dash for the cave entrance. At her breakneck speed, there was no time to dodge the shadowy figure that materialized out of the falling rain. The butt of a sword scabbard rammed into Izumi's midsection with a force that blew the wind out of the female ninja and redoubled the pain in her side. Pain was nothing, however; Izumi had to escape or all that she had done would be for naught. Breathless, she rebalanced and lunged for the exit.

Somehow, Izumi found herself unable to take another step. Something was wrong. Her leg wasn't moving. The ninja's wet body hit the hard ground with a slap. She slowly turned her head to discover a sliver of sheer white bone sticking out of her right calf. As deep red blood gurgled from the wound, the pain hit her all at once forcing a scream out of the ninja's lungs that soon turned into a hoarse croak from lack of air. Even with ninja training, this pain was beyond anything Izumi had experienced and completely immobilized her.

She quickly swallowed the shock of the wound as the tip of the _ronin_'s scabbard struck the ground next to her ear. Izumi looked up into the dark eyes of Ueda Takashi as he knelt in front of her. They looked cold and black as the night outside; his tanned face was cemented in the visage of a killer. Izumi knew that look well. It was the same expression that an Iga ninja gave to an opponent who was going to die, if the opponent even got the chance to see the ninja's face.

Realizing that the _ronin_ did not intend to end her life at this particular moment in time, Izumi painstakingly pulled herself into a crouch that leaned heavily to the left. Takashi stayed in the same position; his hand lay relaxed on the handle of his _katana_ but ready to strike at any moment. Izumi had just managed to get the weight off of her injured leg when the _ronin_'s voice flatly questioned her.

"Who sent you?"

Izumi winced at the sharp pain that continued to shoot through her leg, glaring at the _ronin_ in defiance. "Kill me or leave."

Takashi's hand trembled warily on the _katana_. "Answer me first."

Izumi looked hard at the swordsman. Takashi's eyes were not those of a fool. He must know that sparing her life would result in the eventual loss of his own. That only left one remaining destiny for the female ninja. If Izumi had to choose between dying with or without honor, the choice was clear.

"I shall not reveal our client's identity. Kill me if you must, but believe me when I say that I will not be the last to seek your life. The Iga clan has changed since its confrontation with the Oda. They will kill you, even if it takes every last ninja to do so."

Takashi leaned right into her face. "Is that supposed to scare me? Tell me who sent you and I'll alleviate your clan of their task in the simplest way I can!"

Izumi responded with a ball of saliva to the _ronin_'s face while her left hand toyed with her _obi_. This Takashi was hesitant to kill her, and that was all a skilled _kunoichi_ needed.

Takashi wiped the offending mess from his face and yelled, "Answer me, now!"

Izumi smiled. "Go to hell!"

The smoke bombs on Izumi's belt exploded and immediately filled the cave in a roiling cascade of black mist. Takashi felt the ninja disappear from in front of him like wind. He slashed at the air wildly a few times before the smoke settled. Izumi was nowhere in sight. The _ronin_ sighed and slid his _katana_ back into a matching sheath that had been secured to the _obi_ on his left side. There was no point in tracking the ninja now. Rocky ground didn't yield footprints in heavy rain, not even clumsy ones made by a ninja with a broken leg. Takashi made his way out of the cave and down the slope towards a farmhouse he had seen earlier, untying his topknot of black hair more out of frustration than functionality. That encounter in Hokusei Town had been far too close. Despite the fact that he had eventually defeated the ninja, Takashi could still feel the rapid beat of fear in his chest. In a way, he knew it was only natural, but truthfully, he was ashamed of his anxiety.

"Funny how it is," the ronin thought aloud. "Wonder why my life's worth so much all of a sudden?"

>>>

Noriko squeezed the last drops of rainwater out of her medium-length black hair and began reforming it back into the functional style she usually kept it in. The elderly farmer secured the front door to his humble abode and turned to the girl with a warm smile.

"There's no need for formal thanks to a peasant like me, samur-" The man paused upon looking at Noriko without the hat and cloak that normally covered her feminine features, green _kimono_, and gray _hakama_ pants. "Oh, you're a woman."

Noriko all but scowled in the warm light of the fire as she replaced the white ribbon that held her hair in place. "So, no more 'samurai-_san_', huh?"

The farmer chuckled heartily as he knelt on a straw mat beside a table that had been set for a modest soup-based dinner. "I've never heard of any female samurai, but you are still welcome as a guest in my house." Noticing the sour look that lingered on Noriko's face, he added, "Is it normal for a woman to be journeying alone in the traveling clothes of a samurai with a _katana_ at her side? You can't blame me for making a mistake."

Noriko finished with her hair and was about to reply when a sharp knock rattled the wood-framed door. The farmer stroked his medium-length white beard and creased his wrinkled brow.

"Who is it now, so late in the evening?"

"The former servant of a great feudal lord." a young man's voice replied from beyond the door. "Feeds me, or I shall shamelessly die on your doorstep as a testament to your inconsiderate . . ." There was a pause. "-ness."

Noriko almost smiled at hearing it. "That's my traveling companion. Would you mind too terribly if he came in as well, sir? We can leave if you wish."

"Nonsense." the farmer succinctly responded as he undid the latch on the door just in time to let the sopping wet _ronin_ slosh his way inside.

"All my thanks to you, good sir . . ." Takashi mumbled wearily before flopping down near the fireplace opposite of Noriko. With his strangely violet _kimono_ clinging to his skin and his jet black hair simply hanging over the entirety of his white headband, Takashi shook violently and splashed water all over the newly dry swordswoman.

Shocked for only a second as the farmer began to laugh, Noriko quickly regained an aloof pose. "So, it looks like you'll survive the storm after all. Guess you couldn't die before fulfilling your promise."

Takashi gave a withering look. "Yeah, I'm glad to see you too, sunshine."

Noriko promptly smacked Takashi in the back of the head upon hearing the hated nickname, extracting a satisfying "Ack!" from the hapless _ronin_.

The elderly farmer gave a cackle at the pair's antics while preparing two extra bowls of miso soup. "So tell me, young ones. What brings you to the outskirts of Hokusei Town in the midst of this terrible weather?"

The rain pounded along in its endless deluge upon the roof of the house as Noriko and Takashi began to relate their tale.

>>>

Izumi continued to receive the brute force of the rainfall as she sat panting on top of the cave where she had met defeat against the target _ronin_. A voice pierced the blackness of the night, nearly causing the ninja to instinctively vault several feet into the rocky hillside below.

"Why has it taken so long for you to notice me? Are your trained ninja senses failing you?"

Izumi turned to look but only saw a vague outline of a person in the darkness. "You didn't trust me to complete the mission, even now?"

A very long silver blade glimmered in the falling water. "You know the penalty for failure, Tanizaki-_san_."

Izumi smiled raggedly through her pain and exhaustion. "I was prepared for that fate from the moment I left Iga Castle. But you are not a ninj-"

There was a crack as Izumi's severed head split on a rock below. The shadowy figure cleaned the blade of an eight-foot _tachi_ in a single swipe and sheathed it without a sound. As the shadow faded back into the night from whence it came, its eerie lilting voice sounded in the air.

"It is a truly sad thing to lead a life that is only useful in death."

The rain began to relent at last, but a stream of fresh blood flowed down the slope beyond the cave, beckoning to the hungry stomachs of scavenging animals from all around. As the feast began, an Iga medallion rolled down the hillside and into the plains below.

It was in this manner that death visited the hills outside of Hokusei Town in the Ise Province of Japan on a rainy December night. It was Tensho Year 9 of the Sengoku Jidai, or as western civilization would come to know it, the year 1582 of Japan's Age of Warring States.

(End Prologue)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

ronin - a former samurai.

san - indication of respect. Translates loosely as "mister", "miss", or "missus".

katana - a Japanese sword with a curved, single-edged blade 24-36 inches long. Traditional samurai weapon. Blade on outside.

obi - the belt or sash worn around the waist and underneath the hakama. It is 2-3 meters in length and made of bleached cotton.

kunoichi - a female ninja.

kimono - a Japanese coat-like garment, many variations.

hakama - pleated trousers often worn by samurai.

tachi - predecessor to the katana, curved blade with single edge on the inside, often longer than katanas.


	3. SJ Notes

Sengoku Jidai

The **Sengoku Period** (Japanese: _Sengoku jidai_) or "warring-states" period, is a long period of civil war in the history of Japan that began in the middle 15th century and lasted until the early 17th century. It started in 1467 with the Onin War (_Onin no Ran_)and continued until final peace and order was achieved in 1615 of the Edo Period

The absence of a legitimate central authority in the capital lasted until Oda Nobunaga's armies entered Kyoto in 1568, re-establishing the Muromachi Shogunate under the puppet shogun Ahikaga Yoshiaki to begin the Azuchi-Momoyama Period. However, despite a renewed central authority in Kyoto and Nobunaga's attempt to unify the country, the struggle for power among warring states continued until unification and final peace was achieved long after his sudden and monumental assassination in 1582 at Honnoji Temple in Kyoto (_Honnoji no Hen_).


	4. Enter the Apprentice

Chapter One  
The Apprentice

>>>Morning - April 26, 1583

The late morning sun bathed the grassy fields and forests of southeastern Ise Province with a pale warmth that abated only in the presence of the frequent western breeze. As long as this beauty prevailed, Yamamoto Fuji didn't mind searching for a road he wasn't sure existed at all. The Shinto apprentice stepped briskly with what he imagined to be the adventurer's gait; the movement of a man bound for things unknown. The rough fabric of Fuji's travel sack thumped against his back with every step; his long gray pants billowed like miniature curtains around feet clad in simple two-toed white socks and traveler's sandals, and the tail end of his long-sleeved _keikogi_ fluttered in the light breeze. He swept back the long bangs of his blonde hair and cupped a hand over his brow. Yes, that was definitely the road, just where Genji had said it would be.

It was actually Fuji's first journey. Never in the 18 years of his life had he ventured more than a day's walk from the Shinto Shrine at Ise, and now he had set off into the whole of Japan with no real direction and only vague hints at what he might be looking for. A serious frown crossed the young man's face. Even though his trek would truly be into places he had never seen before, enjoyment was secondary. The reasons for his departure had not only been numerous, but frightningly clear.

The apprentice sighed and raised his blue eyes toward the azure sky above, memories passing through his mind with the serene grace of cotton-white clouds drifting across the surface of the heavens.

>>>Afternoon - April 25, 1583

The muted red glow from the portable lanterns inside the shrine's atrium cast a dim air of resignation upon the hunched figure of the Grand Ise Shrine's High Priest, Yamamoto Genji. Clothed in the same manner as Fuji, his long grey beard and eyebrows actually swayed as he reached into a hidden compartment underneath the Mirror of Amaterasu.

"You know that I am against this," the old man commented in a vain attempt to console his surrogate son. "But due to these most recent events, you also know that it has become too dangerous for you to remain here."

Fuji sighed heavily, tired of the threats, jeers, and stern lectures he had been through over the last few months. "I understand, father."

Genji continued to work with the lock on the compartment, lantern light dancing across his crinkled features as would a fiery sunset over peaceful hills. "It would have been so easy to avoid this, young Fuji. Everyone understood the visions to a degree, and even those who doubted you would not dare have challenged my judgement on the matter."

The apprentice winced at the memory of those 'visions'. He had gone several nights in a row now without a wink of peaceful slumber. The dreams would always show death, destruction, and terror on a massive scale; enough to engulf the entire country in sorrow. Only three parts of these nightmares ever seemed to offer any hope within the disaster.

"A boy crying in the middle of a burning village, a great broadsword resting at his knees," Genji ruminated. "A woman trapped amidst stone pillars who cannot face you, and a fiery-haired girl who greets you with a smile but disappears when you reach for her. They were too vague to be made-up and too clear to be dreams, am I right?"

"_Hai_," Fuji responded simply.

"There were those who were jealous," Genji continued. "Jealous of a novice who could receive visions from the Goddess Amaterasu even without her complete mirror in our posession."

The apprentice glanced toward the object in question. The oval-shaped mirror more resembled a stained-glass window than a reflective surface. An abstract portrait of the Sun Goddess adorned its surface, with only the right eyepiece missing, stolen several years back by an unknown theif.

Genji lowered his head, raising his normally calm voice at the memory incurred by his next statement. "All that could have healed, however, if you hadn't renounced the ideals of Shinto in front of the entire public!"

Fuji bowed low on his knees, his forehead touching the polished wooden floor. "Forgive me, father. It was not my intent to disappoint you, nor to shame the honorable priests of the order."

The High Priest straightened his figure again, forcing his nerves back to a state of calm for the sake of the boy who he probably would never see again. "I know, my son. You have never been one to act without a great deal of thought." Genji held out a black, leather-bound book in his right hand before speaking further. "You must understand though, Fuji. Many of this country rightfully hate the words of this text. It is a book that has led a cruel sort of foreigner to our land, the type of man who tramples an idea simply because he did not think of it, the type of person who hates a people for what they believe."

"Forgive me," Fuji responded. "But do we not speak here and now of people who hate me for what I believe?"

Genji sighed with a smile. "There are those who do not appreciate such clever witticisms, Fuji. To deal with them . . ." The High Priest extended his left hand to reveal a small metal rod with several hinges visable across its upper surface. "I give you the Fan of Uzume, a legendary weapon that once belonged to the _kami_ themselves. Use it to forge your own path in this world, and to discover what mission Amaterasu has in store for you. Those visions were not given to you for them to go to waste. Remember my words and heed them, Yamamoto Fuji."

>>>Morning - April 26, 1583

Fuji's recollections had carried him quite a ways down the dirt road only to be interrupted by the presence of a fork. The apprentice pondered this for a moment. How does one choose a path when he doesn't know his destination? The hard thinking triggered a low growl from Fuji's bowels, and he promptly decided to break for lunch. Settling under a tree positioned between the forks in the road, he unfolded a rectangular lunch plate wrapped in cloth and began to much on the rice balls and well-preserved greens.

Halfway through his food-induced train of thought, however, Fuji noticed the presence of three pairs of evil-smelling feet. Looking up from his lunch quite slowly, the apprentice's eyes met with those of three burly men who instantly registered in Fuji's mind as local bandits. They stared at him with friendly smiles, but the unsheathed _tantos_ in their hands verified the rogues' intent. The short blades extended just beyond dagger length, and Fuji noticed that two were badly chipped. The one held by the man in the center, however, was polished to perfection. Fuji swallowed his last bite of food and did his best to keep a level voice.

"Good morning to you, gentlemen. Is there something I can do for you?"

The apparent leader, a man rippled with muscles but accentuated by unshaven stubble and a visible beer gut, offhandedly examined his _tanto_ while answering.

"Aw, we didn't mean to bother ya there, son. Your food just looked so good we had to take a closer look."

The other two bandits giggled as Fuji winced. He had forgotten Genji's warning to never open the contents of one's possessions on the roadside. Ever since the demise of Nobunaga, encounters with bandits had become increasingly frequent on nearly every major road in Japan. Fuji decided he would attempt to appease the men, at least while the black leather book left by his true father remained concealed in his travel sack. If they found that, well, there was no telling what would happen then . . .

"Perhaps you and your friends are hungry? I have enough to share."

Fuji cursed himself as his voice broke on the last word. This wasn't how he expected his brave adventure to start. He quickly found a _tanto_ buried in his lunch plate by the leader of the bandit troupe while his companions waved their own weapons menacingly.

"You hear this, guys? He's got food to share." the lead bandit scoffed in a light manner. However, all levity departed from the man's voice upon his next declaration. "Maybe he's got some money to share too."

Fuji was about to stammer a response when a fourth interloper calmly sat down to the apprentice's immediate left. The bandits lowered their _tantos_ and stared at the newcomer as he began to ruffle through Fuji's travel sack. As he pulled out another meal box, Fuji noticed the high-quality katana and _wakizashi_ sheathed in his obi. Was this one of the wandering former samurai he had heard so much about recently? The stranger was clad in a straw hat that hid his face until he looked up to ask a question of the young apprentice.

"May I?"

Fuji only nodded dumbstruck as the man began to eat. This fourth individual was an elderly man, possibly in his late forties. He possessed short black hair that grayed at the tips, an extremely well-kept mustache, and a strangely charming smile to go along with his white kimono, red obi, and black hakama pants.

The leader of the bandits quickly recovered his surprise at the stranger's appearance and leveled his blade. "Hey, who do you think you are!"

The man in the white kimono continued eating silently and seemed to ignore the presence of the highwaymen. One of the bandit cohorts nearly shoved his rusted _tanto_ into the man's face.

"You think you can just ignore us like that! You've got some guts to-"

Fuji had not even seen the stranger draw his _wakizashi_. The most recently outspoken of the bandit group looked down in sheer terror at the blade sticking out of his belly. The man in white tipped his hat up a notch and tossed the remnant of a rice ball into his mouth.

"It's very rude to interrupt a good meal."

The newly dead bandit keeled over with a hoarse gasp as his flabbergasted comrades attempted to comprehend what had just happened. Fuji decided that now was the time to use his trump card.

"Behold, lowlife scum!" Fuji shouted in his most imperial tone of voice as he stood to his feet and whipped a weapon out of his left sleeve. "The holy Fan of Uzume! Begone and you shall not incur its wrath!"

The bandits looked at the weapon for a moment before laughing out loud. The fan Fuji had produced was indeed crafted out of a fine silver metal, but in essence, it was still a decorative paper instrument held together by that metal. A faint reddish blotch in the center signified that it had once borne the symbol of the sun long ago. However unusual its appearance might have been, however, it was definitely not threatening. The chief bandit assumed a fighting stance.

"Well, I didn't expect to run into this today. A little kid too big for his britches and an old fart who thinks he can play hardball. I was thinking about being nice to ya earlier, but now that you gone and killed Mochi, I think you both need to join him!"

The leader rushed forward and was instantly met both by the glaringly serious face and even more serious katana of the man in white. The stranger sneered as his katana easily held back the bandit's blade.

"You're out of your league."

Despite his huge muscles, the leader found his grip forced backward by the efforts of the stranger. The newcomer's katana spun in a shimmering arc, sparks flying as the tonto's blade was shorn from its handle and buried itself in the dirt several yards away. The bandits looked in stupor at the bladeless weapon as their opponent glared with murderous intent. The stranger uttered one last word.

"Run."

Both bandits quickly obliged, dashing into the distance as if they had a dragon _kami_on their heels. The man in black calmly walked over to the body of the highwayman he had killed and removed the chipped_ tonto _from his lifeless grip. Setting the tip of the blade between his middle and index fingers, he sighted for a moment and then let the _tonto_ fly. It shot across the air faster than Fuji's eyes could follow and buried itself to the hilt in the back of the lead bandit's skull. His cohort stopped for a moment to see the fountain of blood gushing from his leader's scalp before screaming and running even faster into the woods.

Only Fuji and the nameless swordsman remained. The latter calmly resumed his position to the left of Fuji and continued eating without a word. Fuji sat once more and laid the Fan of Uzume on the grass. He was lost for words until the man in black had almost finished his meal.

"Th-thank you. Thank you for your help, kind sir."

The stranger looked up at him for a moment and chuckled. "There's no need to thank somebody when you've already paid them for their services." He noted the puzzled look on Fuji's face before holding up a pair of rice balls from his meal box. "The way I see it, each of those bandits lives was worth one rice ball in the end. Kind of pathetic, isn't it?" The swordsman gave a wistful look to the open sky. "One should learn to make better use of the life he is given."

Fuji was still coming to terms with the situation when the stranger pointed at the remnants of his meal.

"You gonna finish that?"

The apprentice passed the torn meal box to the man in black before deciding just what it was about the preceding events that still bothered him. "Was it really necessary to kill one of them as he ran?"

The swordsman chuckled a bit before answering. "It's the nature of such men. If I had left two alive, they would have gathered their courage and returned to kill us in our sleep. One bandit has no means of bolstering his confidence without a cohort."

Fuji was still doubtful. "You say that with such certainty."

The swordsman raised an eyebrow. "Of course I'm certain. I've dealt with far too many of the bastards in my time. One piece of scum isn't hard to deal with, but you get a group of them together and they can cause a lot of bad times for a lot of good people."

Fuji noticed a change in the tone of the man's voice when he mentioned "good people". Quite obviously, this was a seasoned warrior that sat before him. Such a swordsman would doubtlessly be helpful in whatever quest awaited the young apprentice, but Fuji knew that he had to make himself seem useful in order to interest his guest. There had to be something that he could say, something that would make him valuable to such a warrior . . .

Wait, what was that huge object on the man's back? He hadn't noticed it before in the midst of the action, but what looked like a large western broadsword was strapped to the stranger's backside. Such a weapon was quite uncommon in these parts, at least to Fuji's knowledge. Better yet, what was this guy's name? Fuji bowed his head.

"I am Yamamoto Fuji. What might your name be, good sir?"

The man in black rewrapped his meal plate and stuffed it in his own travel sack which had been hidden in the tall grass. "Jeffy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Fuji looked at the man strangely for a moment. "Jeffy? Is that Japanese?"

Jeffy pointed at Fuji's blonde hair. "I don't know. Do you call that Japanese?"

Fuji conceded. "That is a question I have not been able to answer since I was a child. Still, that is a western sword on your back, is it not?"

Jeffy scoffed. "Ha! You're still a child, so I guess you wouldn't have the answer. As for this sword, I have no idea where it was crafted, but it was definitely cursed in Japan."

This sparked Fuji's interest. "Cursed?"

"Indeed." Jeffy responded. "A heavy curse lies on this blade that is said to make its bearer go insane." Seeing Fuji gulp visibly, Jeffy patted him on the back. "Nothing to worry about though. As long as it's sheathed it can't do any harm."

For the first time, Fuji noticed the leather straps holding the blade in its scabbard. He suddenly became inexplicably daring. "May I hold it?"

Jeffy undid the strap that held the blade to his back and passed it into Fuji's hands. "Sure, just don't draw it."

The broadsword was far lighter than it looked. Fuji was pleasantly surprised at first, but soon felt a massive evil aura emanate from the sword. Truly, this thing was cursed in the worst way, but there was something else unusual about it. Ridiculous as it may have seemed, the apprentice felt a certain kinship to the blade, almost as if he were holding a part of his own body.

As Fuji continued to examine the ornate scabbard and contemplate this strange sensation, Jeffy began to speak. "Yeah, a student of mine left that with me and I've been looking for a way to purify it ever since. My protégé said that he found it in the Suzuka Mountains, so I'm journeying to the shrine at Mt. Gozaisho to see what I can find out."

A light clicked on in Fuji's brain. "The shrine at Mt. Gozaisho?"

Jeffy nodded. "I figured they'd probably know more about the sword than any other place in the region, so I thought I would ask the priests there for help."

Fuji smiled inwardly. "You do know that the shrine you speak of has been abandoned for the last nine years, right?"

Jeffy looked surprised. "You're joking!"

Fuji shook his head with false conviction. "Oh, it was a sad day when the fire broke out on the mountain. Only a few priests lived to tell about it, but the way I heard it, the shrine's library might still be intact."

Jeffy pondered that for a moment. "Still, even if I knew how to get rid of the curse, I don't have a-" His gaze shifted to Fuji. "Could you lift the curse, given the method?"

Fuji smiled helpfully. "Of course. I have been fully trained in the various arts of a Shinto priest." That was close enough to the truth, except for the "fully" part. Fortunately enough, Jeffy didn't bother to inquire as to Fuji's chances of success in performing any one of those arts.

"Hmm," the swordsman mused. "I'm tempted to ask for your help in this matter, but the journey could be dangerous. Can you actually use that fan or was that show in front of the bandits a bluff?"

"This thing?" Fuji inquired, pawing the instrument. "This is the Holy Fan of Uzume, given to me by Yamamoto Genji, the Head Priest at the Ise Shrine. Supposedly, it has the power to defend the faithful, but I must not be faithful enough."

He handed the folded fan to Jeffy, who proceeded to examine it. "Nonsense, boy. A fan is an extremely effective weapon when used correctly, holy powers or not." Finding a groove at the base of the fan, Jeffy pressed inward. The supports for the paper instrument snapped inwards, causing a thin yet sturdy-looking blade to spring from the handle. "And it seems I've figured out how it protects the faithful. Still, would you like me to teach you how to use this on the way?"

Fuji smiled warmly, glad that he had succeeded in making himself useful. "I would be most appreciative Jeffy-san, and I would be honored to assist you in the noble cause of putting this accursed blade to rest."

"You don't have to get all sentimental about it." Jeffy said while unfolding the fan and retracting the blades. "And don't call me 'Jeffy-san'. If you're going to train under me, you will refer to me as 'Jeffy-_sensei_'."

Fuji nodded. "Understood, Jeffy-_sensei_." He began to relax around the swordsman and commented, "By the way, I knew about the blade. Supposedly, the power to protect the faithful lies in a certain waving motion I'm not familiar with."

Jeffy began to wave the fan in front of his face. "Like this?

A blinding flash of light occurred as Jeffy cried out and fell backward clutching wildly at his eyes.

>>>Night - April 25, 1583

Still fighting back a massive urge to run back home and forget all of the nonsense he had started by reading his father's book and getting involved with that shrine maiden, Fuji managed to come up with at least one piece of cheery news. He had almost reached the outer boundary of the Ise Shrine's territory without incident, and that alone was something worth-

"Hey, Shinto Boy!" a voice called out from the dark forest cover.

Fuji froze in his tracks. Why would they have followed him out this far? He was so close to being home free!

"You sure think you're some hot shit, don't you?" another sinister voice signaled from behind the apprentice. "Being the surrogate son of the High Priest does have its perks, after all. Kind of like being able to say anything you want, even if it defies the very core beliefs of Shinto!"

The already frightened Fuji was horrified to hear yet another voice complement the second. He could already feel intense waves of dread beginning to override his common sense as the third man spoke in a gruff and merciless tone.

"Looks like Old Man Genji thought he could keep you safe by getting you away from the shrine." There was an audible scrape as the men unsheathed bladed weapons. "I guess he didn't expect that you'd run into a bear on your way out, did he?"

Fuji struggled against his fear, but it was just too much. As the three men drew closer, his right eye began to throb painfully, almost as if shifting about in its socket. At this familiar sensation, the apprentice decided to relent for a moment and face his three assailants.

"Actually," Fuji commented in a level voice as he turned slowly toward the three attackers. "Genji didn't do this to protect me."

The three men stopped dead in their tracks, staring dumbly at the apprentice's right eye. The normally peaceful blue iris had shifted to a violent shade of murderous red, and the pupil had become horribly deformed. It now possessed an inner and outer circle, with what looked like geometrically perfect triangles pointing both in toward the center in the diagonal directions and outward at cardinal trajectories. Even stranger, the circles, triangles, and iris moved independantly as Fuji's gaze shifted, giving his already creepy smile an air of deathly intent.

"He sent me away so that those who would bring harm to me might continue living!"

A spectacular rumble echoed across the ground, shaking the would-be assailants to their knees. If that hadn't been enough to frighten them, the ground began to erupt all around three men, throwing dirt, tree branches, and shale in all directions. Having had their fill of vengeance for the time being, the men leapt to their feet and ran like the wind back through the woods to the safety of the shrine, screaming at the top of their lungs at the impossibility they had just witnessed. Soon after their departure, the rumbling began to subside, and the debris ceased its wild dance across the night air in a thick cloud of dust.

Fuji fell to his knees, placing a hand across his right eye as it returned to normal even more painfully than it had shifted in the first place. A drop of blood made its way past the joints of his fingers as the apprentice noticed the glimmer of metal amongst the bits of churned earth.

"That's enough," he whispered. "I'm alright. Really . . . I'm fine."

The sheet of metal sunk back into the ground with a silence unbefitting its earlier show of force, leaving Fuji to sprawl over the ground on his backside, his body and mind completely exhausted from the taxing day.

_Someday_, he thought. _Someday I'll have to figure out just what that damned thing is_.

(End Chapter One)


	5. Devil by Daylight

Chapter Two  
Devil by Daylight

>>>Afternoon - April 30, 1583

"'Holy Fan of Uzume', he says," Jeffy grumbled as he and Fuji carefully continued to tread down the dirt path towards a junction with the main road running from Tado Town to Komo Town. "'Power to defend the faithful', he says."

Fuji still winced when he thought about the incident a few days past. He really hadn't believed the legend about the Light of Amaterasu contained within the Fan of Uzume until Jeffy-sensei had accidentally blinded himself by using the fan correctly. That, coupled with Jeffy's revelation that he couldn't travel long distances without a pair of old crutches, had gotten the young apprentice's journey with the sword master off to a rocky start.

Pacing himself to keep the partially blind swordsman on track, Fuji once again attempted an apology. "Again, I'm very sorry, sensei. I had no idea that the fan could-"

"Listen, quit apologizing to me." Jeffy interrupted. "I'm an old man, and I've earned the right to grumble all I like. You could best make it up by learning how to use that weapon correctly." There was a pause as Jeffy seemed to consider something very important. "You did say that this is temporary, right?"

"It should be." Fuji speculated rather innocently. "At least, as far as I know."

Jeffy gave the apprentice a withering look, at least in the general direction he assumed the boy to be. His vision had gotten slightly better since the day he had met his new protégé, but everything was still extremely blurry. That could be Fuji standing next to him. Then again, it could be a smallish tree.

"Thought you were some kind of high-level monk."

"I never said that." Fuji mumbled evasively. "Besides, at my age? That kind of thing's impossible."

"Really?" the swordsman replied. "That's the biggest problem with your generation, son. If you haven't seen it before than it's just got to be impossible, eh?"

Fuji sighed. "I'd like to think that there's a difference between skepticism and gullibility."

"Student!" Jeffy almost shouted.

Fuji cringed visibly. It was far too easy to forget that he had placed himself under this man's tutelage . "Yes, sensei?"

"Learn well from the words of one more experienced than yourself. Your analysis of my words would be correct if you wished to learn the art of debate, but in combat, the one who believes that anything is possible, and prepares for it, is the one who will emerge victorious." Jeffy's expression changed to a grin. "Remember: in battle, paranoia is a survival trait."

The boy's blonde hair wisped backwards as he put his palm to his forehead, peering into the distance in search of something that could change the topic of conversation. "Is that the crossing we're looking for?"

Fuji waited for several moments before Jeffy cleared his throat loudly and pointed at his eyes.

"Oh, sorry." the apprentice recovered. "There's a wooden signpost at a T-shaped intersection, and it looks like the other road is a lot wider and well-traveled. There's also some forests to the far left and some mountains in the distance. Is it the Suzuka Range?"

Jeffy smiled and hobbled forward on his crutches. "The Tokaido Road, at last. If we follow it southwest, we should hit Komo Town at the foot of Mt. Gozaisho in just a few more days." He stopped for a moment and turned toward Fuji. "Just be sure to check the signpost in case I'm mistaken. You gonna show me where it is or what?"

"Oh, _hai_." Fuji responded, directing the movements of the partially blind cripple. The apprentice was so diligent in his aid to his sensei that he tripped and fell flat on his face when Jeffy came to a sudden halt.

The swordsman mused for a second and then kneeled, running his hand through the dirt of the path. "Great. Just great."

Fuji picked himself up and nursed his hurt pride before responding. "What's great?"

"Tracks." Jeffy replied, still running his hand across the ground. "Four individuals; can't distinguish the footwear properly, but I'd bet on a group of ninja."

Fuji sat mystified as Jeffy continued to elaborate on his findings.

"Yeah, the direction and movement pattern definitely says ninja. Three are following the path and another tapered off on a different trajectory heading . . . southeast." Jeffy sighed heavily. "We're walking into a trap."

"What!" Fuji stammered. "Ninjas? Why would ninjas be after us!"

"You never can tell, kid." Jeffy mumbled as he ceased examining the footprints. "That's the way the country is right now. Doesn't take much more than an ill-placed insult to get assassins hounding your every step. I've seen this before though; it's a pretty standard maneuver. The three ahead of us are wearing a different kind of sandal than the fourth who's circling around. They want us to think they're just normal travelers, but the tracks are too neatly arranged for that. Besides, very few people travel the Tokaido Road these days without an entourage or at least some sort of carriage. Only samurai travel in groups this size unattended, and they leave heavier imprints. Even if I had doubts about the first three, the fourth is definitely a ninja; he barely touched the ground when he crossed here. They always move fast and light when there's no available cover."

Jeffy rose to his feet as he continued. "The first three will probably take up positions in that forest a ways on down the road, and the fourth will try to force us in if we don't take that path. In any case, that forest is perfect killing ground for a ninja: plentiful cover, and lots of natural weapons."

Fuji still couldn't quite believe what was being said. "You're really sure they're ninjas? Did you do something that could warrant-"

"Now, now," Jeffy interrupted, patting the apprentice on the back. "Don't you worry. If there's one thing I've dealt with all too often in my life, it's people trying to kill me. I've come up with so many different ways to avoid death that one of them has got to fit this situation. Memory's getting a little rusty though. How about we set up lunch over that next hillock and get some food for thought?"

As the two men moved toward the spot Jeffy had appointed for their next meal, Fuji remained pensive. "Sensei?"

"Yup?" Jeffy responded.

"How do you know that they're trying to kill you?"

"Well, you haven't done anything to piss somebody else off, have you?"

"No, well, at least no one who could affort to hire a ninja."

"See?"

"Well, maybe that one time . . . But her father didn't seem _that_ angry."

"Fuji?"

"Yes, sensei?"

"You know what the second biggest problem of your generation is?"

"No, what?"

"Knowing when to shut up."

" . . . Hai."

>>>

The makeshift meal was nearly done when Fuji decided to review what had been said. "Okay, let me get this straight. I'm going to just sit around outside the forest while you go in, blind and crippled, to take on three trained ninja?"

Jeffy laughed. "You really underestimate me, kid. And no, I don't expect you to just 'sit around'. Remember, three ninja are likely to be in the forest, but there's a fourth waiting to rush in just in case something goes awry. I'm counting on you to take care of that one, or at least stall him until I can get done with the first three."

Fuji looked perplexed. "How do I know where the fourth will come from?"

Jeffy pointed a pair of chopsticks at the apprentice. "Remember the direction of the tracks? The Tokaido Road runs through that forest directly south. The tracks we found show the fourth individual heading southeast, so . . ."

"The east side!" Fuji responded.

"Right." Jeffy said approvingly while pouring green tea into a mug from a gourd he had brought along. "There's a lot of hillocks to the east, perfect cover for a ninja on approach. He'll be going pretty fast to avoid detection, so you'll need to get his attention and then use the fan, okay?"

Fuji took hold of the Fan of Uzume proudly. Even though temporarily blinded, Jeffy had taught him well enough to use the fan's special power on command. "I understand, sensei. But will you surely be able to fight those three ninja, even with your handicap?"

"If you're talking about the crutches," Jeffy sighed. "That injury has taught me to fight smarter and faster than I ever could have been with full use of my legs. As for the blindness . . ." The swordsman looked toward the signpost a few yards down the road. "That thing has two directional arrows on it, right?"

Fuji looked delighted. "Your sight is getting better, Jeffy-sensei!"

"Yep." the sword master commented as he rose and packed his culinary materials away. "It's been improving really fast today. Besides, I've been trained to fight in low visibility, so everything should be fine." Jeffy stuffed his travel sack into some bushes and straightened the blades on his belt. "You ready?"

"Sensei," Fuji questioned as he made to do the same with his travel bag. "Wouldn't it be better to hide the broadsword? Something that big will impede your movement, won't it?"

Jeffy looked surprisingly conflicted for a moment before answering. "Hmm, I wouldn't have expected a rookie like you to notice that. True, it would be more combat efficient to remove the darned thing, but I wouldn't leave something like this to chance. This blade . . . I can't even take the slightest risk that someone might find it and carry it off." The swordsman sighed heavily before his face expanded into an almost foolish smile. "Still, what are we standing around for? This'll be your first battle! Let's walk into it with some gusto, eh?"

Fuji smiled in return, even though he was beginning to feel uncertainty crawl under his skin. "Right, sensei!"

>>>

It was several long minutes after Fuji witnessed Jeffy venture boldly into the forest that he heard the first clash of blades. The pings and scrapes echoed from amongst the dense foliage accompanied by vicious battle cries and grunts of effort.

Fuji hated this plan. Every fiber of his being wanted to be in the forest fighting alongside Jeffy, but he knew that his lack of skill in real combat would only be a hindrance to the experienced swordsman. Nonetheless, he shifted restlessly against the small, grassy overhang he had chosen for an ambush spot, keeping his eyes peeled on the hillocks to the east. Fuji had little doubt that the fourth ninja would appear just as Jeffy had predicted, but he found it hard to keep his attention on the peaceful sun-bathed plains with the sounds of battle echoing all around.

After what seemed like an eternity, Fuji noticed that the sounds of sword-clashing had become more infrequent. Had Jeffy taken out one of the ninja? That had to be it! The apprentice felt a great wave of relief. He really had underestimated his sensei. Jeffy must not have been joking that one night when he mentioned being one of the three masters of a certain sword art, the name of which Fuji found it difficult to recall at the moment. Yay-something?

The thought quickly vanished from the young apprentice's mind at the sight of a shadow-like movement. It hadn't come from the hillocks though; Fuji was sure that something was moving at the far south end of the forest. Something in black clothing . . .

Fuji pulled back into the shadows of his chosen overhang as his heart began beating uncomfortably fast. Was one of the ninja running away? He chanced another look. The figure had definitely left the cover of the forest, but was moving toward another entrance point. If this one managed to catch Jeffy by surprise, the sword master wouldn't stand a chance, despite his extreme skill.

Fuji readied his fan. This was the moment of truth. If he waited another few seconds, the ninja would already be inside the forest. Fuji felt an icy stab of fear enter his mind, but quickly banished it. There was no time for fear and no time to think of a way to come out alive; there was only time enough for one quick and decisive action.

The apprentice exploded from the grassy overhang at a breakneck pace, poising his hand for the proper movement to unleash the Fan of Uzume's secret power. He dared not slow down, since his survival instincts would grind him to a sudden halt if he relented even for a second. The ninja was a stark black target straight ahead, seemingly unaware of Fuji's presence until the apprentice shouted at the top of his lungs and prepared to strike. It was at that moment that Fuji's hand chose to lose it's grip on the fan.

The soft thunk of the fan hitting the ground was like a gong in Fuji's head. Of all the times to screw things up! But there was no going back. The ninja seemed to freeze at the sight of the charging apprentice, and that was all Fuji needed. He threw himself forward, both arms extended to go for the neck of his opponent. Despite the mist of battle that clouded his eyes, Fuji suddenly noticed something that caused him to hesitate and drop his arms. The ninja was a girl?

Unfortunately, though it was easy for Fuji to force his arms out of an offensive position upon this sudden revelation, he couldn't bring his legs to stop their headlong advance. The combatants' heads collided on impact with a loud thunk, and Fuji's world exploded into stars before becoming enveloped in blackness.

>>>

A short time after the ill-fated apprentice's extremely brief combative encounter, Jeffy Anakouji emerged from the forest and examined the scene of battle alongside two astounded spectators.

"Well," the sword master ruminated, taking care not to laugh out loud at what he saw before him. "Whatever happened here, it happened pretty quick."

Fuji and the girl he had mistaken for a ninja laid in an unconscious heap with painful-looking lumps protruding from their foreheads. The Fan of Uzume rested several yards away along with a few discarded kunai that had been dropped in the assault.

"You've been teaching this guy for three days?" the tall man to Jeffy's left inquired. "He just lost to Megumi, of all people. I don't know a single guy in the whole of Japan who could manage that."

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Takashi on this one." commented the woman in a straw hat and cloak on Jeffy's right. "The last thing we need is extra baggage. Letting Megumi come along was the only thing we could do for her short of a mercy killing. We finally find the one person in Japan who could lose a fight to her, and you want him to tag along?"

Jeffy put a hand to his forehead and allowed his own straw hat to cover the look of shame on his face. "You'll just have to trust me on this one. For the purpose of my objectives, at least, he's extremely important." A strange smile crossed the swordsman's face. "Besides, it looks like Fuji was the victor from here."

Takashi looked confused for a moment, but was suddenly struck by an epiphany. "Actually, he's right in a way."

Noriko's face was a mixture of curiosity and dread. "What are you talking about? At best this was a tie since both of them are out cold."

Jeffy pointed to Fuji's right hand that had come to rest on Megumi's chest. "True, but at least my guy got a decent boob grab out of it."

"Untz." Takashi stated in admiration while Noriko struggled to resist the urge to kill both of the men and move on.

(End Chapter Two)


	6. Congregation

Chapter Three  
Congregation

>>>Night - April 30, 1583

The enticing smell of roasted wild boar drifting across the campsite did nothing to calm the nerves of Yamamoto Fuji. He sat cross-legged and fidgeting across the campfire from Jeffy-sensei and three individuals whom even after two hours of consciousness he still had no idea what to make of. At least two of those individuals were well-armed and looked very dangerous; it was due to this fact that Fuji had resisted the urge to question what exactly had taken place earlier that day. That trepidation, of course, hadn't prevented the apprentice from doing quite a bit of eavesdropping.

Outside the campsite, darkness had fallen on the world and enveloped everything in a near-total blackness. They were apparently still some distance from Komo Town, possibly in the very same forest where Jeffy had fought those "ninjas".

Fuji was still mentally kicking himself for going along with that farce. From the bits of Jeffy's conversation with a swordsman in a purple kimono that he had been able to catch, Fuji had determined that the everything following his arrival at the Tokaido Road had been some sort of planned test. It had become obvious over the course of the evening that Jeffy was the mastermind behind that particular scheme, since the other three seemed none too enthused at the prospect of taking the apprentice along with them.

Fuji looked up at the three newcomers again. They were an odd-looking bunch, especially the girl named Megumi. Long dark-brown hair almost covered the left side of her face despite the presence of a dark blue headband. An extremely large smile threatened to envelop her young face as her hazel eyes twinkled in the firelight, staring intently at the wild boar over the fire that was almost ready to eat. Her clothes definitely gave off the impression of a kunoichi, consisting only of a sleeveless gi, leg stockings, and arm-length gloves, all of which were the same shade of dark blue as Megumi's headband. Fuji felt his face flush as he realized once again just how much of the girl's well-toned legs were being revealed. No wonder he had earlier mistaken her for a female ninja; only kunoichi were known to dress in such a manner.

The apprentice had managed to glean the name of the other woman from snatches of Jeffy's conversation. This "Noriko" was definitely giving Fuji the creeps, even while performing such a peaceful task as tending the boar. Her looks were decidedly non-threatening; a thick brown cloak, green kimono, and plain gray hakama worked in unison to nearly drown out her femininity, but soft raven hair still made its way past her ears and down to her shoulders from beneath a worn straw hat. It was Noriko's eyes that kept the Shinto apprentice on edge. Even with the menial task of making dinner at hand, her eyes seemed to search everywhere for an enemy. No, perhaps enemy wasn't the right word. Fuji once again felt as if his entire being was about to fall into those emerald eyes that gleamed with only one solid intent. This Noriko lived only to kill.

Fuji forcefully shifted his gaze away from the swordswoman and turned his attention to the man with whom Jeffy was speaking. Something in the hushed conversation had caught his ear: "Takashi"? Was that the other swordsman's name? In any case, the apprentice felt much more relaxed gazing at this Takashi. The well-tanned man in the violet kimono laughed and joked with Jeffy as if he had known him for a lifetime. Jeffy's cursed sword lay on the ground between the two men. Was this the student that Jeffy had received the sword from? Jet black hair seemed to fray out in all directions but hung especially low over Takashi's solid white headband. The twin tails of the headband emerged from somewhere on the backside of the swordsman's massive scruff of hair and trailed down to a pair of hakama pants that Fuji found indistinguishable from Noriko's, except for the fact that they looked much rougher and well-worn through travel.

Jeffy suddenly stood up and addressed the whole group as if they had all been listening to his private conversation. "So you see, I need him for the purposes of my mission. If Fuji is indeed correct about the shrine at Mt. Gozaisho being abandoned, then he's my best chance at purifying this cursed blade."

Noriko snapped her fierce gaze to meet the old man's calm, gentle eyes. "You know that my objective takes priority, especially with Takashi."

Takashi folded his arms across the back of his head and gave a cheeky grin. "Jeez, didn't know you needed me that much, sunshine."

Fuji felt himself cringe as Noriko almost burst with annoyance. "Who said I needed your help! I was talking about your promise! I thought a man such as yourself would be more trustworthy than to abandon his word for some pretty sword."

Takashi lost the grin as quickly as it had appeared. "Hey, trust me, there's nothing pretty about that monstrosity. It was my responsibility to deal with that sword way before I offered to help you out." Takashi seemed to ponder the situation for a moment before continuing with a heavy sigh. "But, you're right. I did say that I would help you find the man who killed your father."

Fuji wondered why Megumi had remained so quiet. The girl seemed very agitated over the scuffle, almost in excess. Jeffy seemed to notice that as well.

"Hey, there's no need for an argument here. Takashi will fulfill his pledge to Noriko, and Fuji will assist me." He looked at Noriko. "If the guy you're looking for is in the next town then we hunt him down. If not, then we head in the direction of the shrine to look elsewhere. Does that work for everyone?"

Noriko seemed pensive for a moment before answering. "Can he defend himself at all? You saw his performance against Megumi; we don't have room for another combatively useless teammate."

"That's mean, Nori-_chan_." Megumi half-sobbed. "I try my best."

Noriko's expression changed to one of mixed exasperation and pity. "It doesn't hurt to state the truth, Megumi. You completely bungled the assignment from your clan to kill Takashi, and in every fight we get into along the road you're more of a danger to us than the enemy. I don't even know why I still let you carry those kunai; you almost killed me with them last time, remember? I'm sorry, but I just can't deal with that kind of ineptitude when our lives are in danger."

Megumi looked as if she were about to cry when Fuji suddenly rose to his feet. "I won't repeat that mistake I made earlier today."

Noriko gave Fuji a look that made him feel like an ant. "Is that so?"

The spotlight was suddenly on the apprentice and all eyes in the group turned toward him. Fuji made sure to respond with alacrity, hoping desperately that the warriors would not comprehend his anxiety. "Th-that's right. I didn't even know the first thing about fighting when I started on this journey, but Jeffy has taught me a lot over the past few days. I'll work hard to earn your trust in combat."

Noriko seemed to materialize on her feet, as if she had made no movement from a sitting position at all. A curious katana with grooves cut into the blade separated from its sheath at Noriko's waist and whistled through the air in dazzling arcs before stopping a mere hair's breadth from Fuji's face.

The swordswoman's eyes were even colder up close than from afar. "Understand this, apprentice. I trust no one in combat." She began pointing at the rest of the group with her left hand. "Not Takashi, not his sensei, not this former kunoichi," The sword was sheathed in a quick motion as Noriko glared at Fuji through a slit cut into her hat. "And most definitely not you."

Fuji found it hard to fight down a massive sense of awe at the exquisite swordsmanship he had just witnessed, but quickly swallowed his fear. Begging wasn't going to impress these warriors. They represented the safest passage to Mt. Gozaisho, and he had to find a way to at least tag along.

"Then I shall work even harder to be the first."

Noriko turned back just as she had begun to walk away. "The first?"

Fuji tried to stand straighter and made his best attempt at a defiant look, though it held more apprehension than he probably imagined. "The first to earn that trust."

Noriko's expression changed under the shadow of the straw hat. Fuji found it curiously unreadable. Relief washed over his body when a faint smile crept onto the swordswoman's face.

"Amusing." she scoffed before sitting down, removing the boar from the fire, and looking at Jeffy. "Take him along if you want, just make sure he stays out of my way."

"Alright!" Megumi exclaimed, though Fuji wasn't sure at first whether she was cheerful about dinner or about the fact that he had just joined the group. His suspicions disappeared when the former kunoichi sat down next to him. "I'll work hard to fight too, Fuji-san!" she beamed. "We'll train together, right?"

Fuji found himself strangely pleased with the girl's enthusiasm. "I don't see any problem with that. How about it, Jeffy-sensei?"

The sword master looked up from a steaming hunk of boar meat that had just come into his possession. "You're a bold man to interrupt a good meal for that ridiculousness, but I suppose I could give it a shot. Should be a bit easier now that I can see pretty well again."

Fuji and Megumi suddenly found themselves wrapped up in a joking embrace by Takashi. Fuji couldn't help but notice that there was no softness to his arms at all; every inch of Takashi seemed to be compact muscle.

"Alright!" the ronin exclaimed. "Now more students can come to experience the glory of the Jeffy-Yaen style!" He seemed to notice Megumi's involvement for the first time. "I'm not sure a woman could understand it, though."

Megumi shoved Takashi's arm off and glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jeffy's voice arose from the meal at twice its normal volume. "Takashi! What is the central ideology of our school's teachings!"

Takashi seemed to jump at the chance to answer, but Noriko suddenly looked strangely afraid. "The Jeffy-Yaen style is also known as the 'Art of the Forbidden Sword'. That is to say, one's limits as a swordsman are parallel to his limits as a person. If a man can live without restrictions, such as morality, then he can fight without limitations."

Fuji, Megumi, and Noriko looked dumbstruck as Jeffy laughed uproariously. "And what are the sacred icons that reinforce the spirit towards that goal?"

Takashi's face beamed proudly. "Good food, alcoholic beverages, and morally ambiguous women!"

Noriko put a hand to her face in shame, uttering several desperate pleas to the kami that this was still all just a bad dream.

Fuji and Megumi shared the same state of confusion, but it was Fuji who spoke first. "How would those improper indulgences enhance one's ability to fight?"

Jeffy looked toward them knowingly. "Perhaps you will come to understand this in the course of your training."

"_Sugoi_!" Megumi exclaimed. "Truly, you are a man of untold wisdom, Jeffy-sensei!"

As the meal began in earnest, Takashi leaned over and whispered his thoughts to Jeffy. "I've never seen a female react well to the pillars of your teachings. What do you suppose that means?"

"It could be that she is a girl of unique vision, who has been through many hardships in life only do discover the truth of existence, just as I once did." Jeffy ruminated. "Or it could be that-"

Takashi looked doubtful for several uncomfortable seconds before speaking again. "That what?"

"That she's too dumb to be offended by unabashed manliness." Jeffy looked in Megumi's direction as she kept trying to shove copious amounts of food into Fuji's mouth. "If I were any kind of betting man, I'd say that the odds are good for the latter."

>>>Morning - May 1, 1583

Fourteen hours later, a clear and cloudless day allowed the full force of the sun's heat to simmer across the tall grass plains that stretched beyond the forest. Fuji was none too thankful for this as he and Megumi attempted to match strides with their newly appointed drill instructor.

"Keep up the pace guys; we're nowhere near finished!" Takashi shouted from a generous distance ahead.

Jeffy had woken the two new students out of slumber at the crack of dawn and allotted them the task of cleaning up the campsite. Both breakfast and cleanup were complete within an hour, but Fuji and Megumi soon found themselves dragged into a jogging exercise by Takashi, who had been put in charge of their fitness training. As Jeffy himself had put it, "Exhaustion is just another word for 'focus'."

Noriko and Jeffy traveled the road at a normal walking pace, but Takashi had been instructed to lead Fuji and Megumi in a continuous circular jog around the group. The exercise had now been going on for three hours, and Fuji found it hard to keep running in an exact circle around a moving center. That, in addition to the odd sing-along that Takashi insisted on using to unify their strides, had totally zombified Fuji's mind.

"I don't know what I've been told!" Takashi sung, waiting for the reply.

Fuji and Megumi would have sighed visibly if they'd had the time. "I don't know what I've been told!"

"I'd take cleavage be-fore gold, SING IT!"

Fuji cringed. "I'd take cleavage be-fore gold!" Perhaps "odd" was the wrong word for this melody. Something along the lines of "cruel and unusual" seemed more appropriate. Not to mention "tone-deaf".

Takashi smiled widely as he continued. "Jeffy-Yaen style is the best!"

"Jeffy-Yaen style is the best!"

"Beats the hell out of all the rest!"

"Beats the hell out of all the-"

The sweat that continually clouded the apprentice's vision prevented him from seeing Takashi's sudden advance before it was too late. Fuji made a hasty attempt to block the wooden sword strike with his fan, but the _bokken_ made contact with his instrument before the apprentice had a chance to reinforce it with his left hand. As a result, Fuji's block fell easily, allowing Takashi to alter the path of the wooden sword and sweep the apprentice's feet out from under him. Fuji was actually kind of relieved when he felt the brief yet sudden absence of solid ground; that split-second was the closest thing to rest he had gotten all morning. The apprentice hit the ground in a heap, and Takashi lost no time taunting him as Megumi continued to jog in place.

"I didn't think that block could get any weaker, little man!" the swordsman grinned. "What's the matter? I thought you were going to work hard!"

Fuji panted raggedly as he pulled himself up off the ground. "It's . . . the sweat. (huff) I can't see your movements that well."

Takashi let loose a roaring laugh. "Observation is the key, Fuji! What do Megumi and I have that you don't?"

Fuji suddenly realized the problem as he rose to his feet. "Headbands."

"Too bad you didn't think about that before we started." Takashi leered. "It's not like we carry spares, so let's get going!"

The apprentice forced his burning muscles to work again and he slowly regained his former pace running alongside Megumi. After a couple of revolutions around Noriko and Jeffy, who were engaged in a conversation that Fuji found difficult to discern, he noticed something curious.

"Megumi-san?" he half-whispered just before the song began again in earnest.

"Up in the mornin' to the ri-sing sun!" Takashi shouted above their quiet chatter.

"What's up?" Megumi responded in a cheery, quick response.

"Up in the mornin' to the ri-sing sun!" the pair of trainees quickly chimed in.

Fuji gave her a disbelieving look. "You . . . you don't seem very . . . tired."

"Gonna run all day till the runnin's done!" the ronin shouted as his hand moved unnoticed toward the _bokken_ at his side.

Megumi smiled almost ridiculously. "It's not really that hard for some reason."

"Gonna run all day till the runnin's done!"

The apprentice suddenly recalled what Noriko had said earlier. "It's probably because you've had ninja training, right?"

A disproportionately confused look crossed Megumi's face just before Takashi changed the beat.

"One-two-three-I love to be a sa-mu-rai!"

"One-two-three-I love to be a sa-mu-rai!"

Astonishment hit Fuji's face like a thunderbolt. "Wait, you were a samurai!"

The _bokken_ swung towards Megumi faster than the girl could possibly form a block. The sudden attack seemed to scare the living daylights out of Megumi and she quickly recoiled. Takashi's strike cleanly missed, causing the ronin to overbalance and plant his face directly into Megumi's chest.

A moment of shocked silence passed before Jeffy called back to the group from some distance ahead. "How are they doing, Takashi?"

Takashi made no attempt to alter his position but gave a highly visible thumbs-up followed by a surprisingly loud reply. "A-Plus-_ssu_!"

A spinning katana sheath barely missed Megumi and thudded into the back of Takashi's head with a loud crack. The lecherous swordsman dropped in a heap as Noriko calmly strode forward to retrieve her scabbard.

"One of these days I'm going to throw the blade instead, Takashi."

Megumi, strangely unaffected by the recent turn of events, knelt beside the prone drill instructor alongside Fuji. "Are you okay, Takashi-san?"

Takashi seemed to be struggling both with a large lump that was forming on the back of his head and consciousness itself as he answered. "From this, you can learn one of the great lessons of Jeffy-Yaen style."

Fuji cocked an eyebrow. "At this point, I'm not sure I'd want to."

Takashi smiled widely and continued undeterred. "As long as you get what you want, the consequences don't matter at all."

Fuji assisted Megumi in helping their trainer to his feet as he replied. "That seems kind of extreme. I mean, say for instance that Noriko did throw the katana blade instead of the scabbard, wouldn't that consequence kind of matter?"

Takashi didn't miss a beat. "She wouldn't have."

"How do you know?" Megumi chimed in.

"Because I know Noriko a little better than that." Takashi responded with a little more stability now that he had regained his footing. "Besides, you're taking what I said in the wrong context."

"Indeed." Jeffy stated in a serious manner, seeming to materialize behind the group. "What my student meant to say is that one should never shy away from achieving a coveted goal because he is afraid of the consequences. It is far worse to not acquire what one seeks and than to suffer the retribution tied to it." The sword master sighed. "In any case, we're going to stop for lunch just over the next rise."

"Thank the kami!" Fuji and Megumi exclaimed.

"Not that I don't enjoy the prospect," Takashi began to inquire. "But why now? We've still got another hour or so till noon."

Jeffy called their collective attention to a clear set of tracks right in front of them. "We're being followed." Noting Fuji's suspicion, he added, "This time, it's for real."

(End Chapter Three)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

chan - a suffix that denotes familiarity or affection. Can also be used to denote the difference between an adult and child, as in "Jr.".

sugoi - in this case, it translates as "amazing".

bokken - a wooden training sword.

ssu - it can translate as "sir", but it is used here to imitate a common mispronunciation made by Japanese voice actors using English words.


	7. The Brightest Smile

Chapter Four  
The Brightest Smile

>>>Afternoon - December 27, 1582

The weather was okay. The grass was green, the sky was blue, and there were trees everywhere. Birds were chirping. The wind felt nice. The weather was . . . okay.

Takashi didn't give a flying fig about the weather. Hunger, now that was something else altogether. The ronin was thoroughly convinced that his stomach had twisted itself in knots by now. That would explain the deep rumbles that trumped every intelligent thought in his head. Takashi was hungry. Takashi was really, really hungry.

The ronin plodded onward with a hand over his tortured gut and a gaunt, hanging expression on his face that would have scared the average traveler into the next province. Takashi couldn't even remember the last time he had felt this hungry. It would have to have been many years ago, before his servitude under Lord Nobunaga, before his training under Jeffy-sensei, but after . . .

A low growl that issued from his midsection caused Takashi to cease his reminiscence. The past was all well and good, but he needed some nutrition right now. In fact, to hell with nutrition. At this point, the man would have been grateful for a decent-tasting patch of grass.

It wasn't as if Takashi hadn't prepared for his long journey. He had fully intended to stock up in the last town, but someone had recognized him at the local tavern. That alone probably wouldn't have caused trouble, but apparently, that town in particular had developed a serious aversion towards former samurai. So serious an aversion, in fact, that Takashi had quite literally been given the boot, courtesy of the conveniently punctual neighborhood militia.

The ronin nearly doubled over upon the arrival of a sharp hunger pang that hit him like a thunderbolt. This really had to stop. There was no telling how far away the next town could be, and Takashi wasn't in the mood to find out whether they harbored a similar attitude to the last one. A quick look around soon rewarded the ronin with what he was looking for. A forest! There had to be some kind of food in there, or at least some water.

Takashi's pace began to quicken towards what could very well be his salvation, but the energy for the movement gave out just as quickly as it had appeared. He attempted to rekindle the burst of speed into a loping run, but the best his tired body could do was a ridiculously sporadic motion similar to a man attempting to run while being stabbed in the gut every three steps.

By the time the hapless ronin finally entered the woods ahead, his hunger had increased tenfold due to anticipation. What would he find here? Certain forests could be a treasure trove of various fruits, vegetables, and, if one possessed the skill to acquire it, fresh meat. Sure, it was still the middle of winter, but, especially in the mind of a starving warrior, hope springs eternal. Ignoring the brambles and ivy that tore at the fringes of his hakama, Takashi ventured onward into the labyrinth of ancient trees. Sunlight poured in from the treetops in visible beams at obscure angles. Some parts of the forest floor appeared in full visibility, but other sections seemed cordoned off by a visible barrier of darkness. Though the possibility of a meal drew him further in, Takashi felt the beginnings of fear creep into his mind. One could never tell just what resided in these forests, especially in one so far away from civilization. The slight fear turned into suspicion as visible light began to grow dimmer, and again turned to paranoia as the darkness seemed to take on a life of its own and creep up around him like an intangible snare.

"Hello!"

"AAAAAGH!"

Takashi landed squarely on his butt from utter surprise, but quickly recovered and drew his katana, The Greatness, in a lightning-fast movement. "Who's there! Answer me!"

A young girl emerged from the shadows with a bright smile that caused Takashi to instantly lower his guard. Her long black hair fell in simple locks past her waist, though red ribbons tied somewhere within trailed down even farther. She wore a simple gray kimono with a brown cloth obi and a pair of familiar two-toed socks with accompanying sandals. What really unnerved the already frightened ronin was a pair of wide and extremely clear blue eyes. They seemed almost freakish and most definitely out of place with the rest of her appearance.

"Riho." she answered in a near-singsong voice. "My name's Riho. What's yours?"

The Greatness lowered very slowly as Takashi attempted to balance the need to protect his manliness with the need to answer . . . and the need for food. "Ta-Takashi."

"_Ara, yokatta_," Riho replied, placing a delicate hand over her chest. "I thought you were a bandit, but a bandit wouldn't have a nice name like that. You're not a bandit, are you?"

Takashi found himself staring at Riho's hand. To be more precise, he found himself staring at what was under her hand: something large, round, and most likely very soft. Amazingly, another primal urge completely overrode his aching hunger. Takashi quickly rose to his feet, sheathed the katana with a stylish motion, and struck a glamorous pose.

"Why, young miss, how could you ever believe such a thing?" he soothed in an excessively amorous tone. "I am but a traveling envoy of justice, lending my blade to the weak and impoverished against the tyranny of evil men."

"Really?"

Takashi made sure to note the girl's enthusiastic reply before his legs gave out under the influence of a massive hunger pang.

"Aa! Are you alright?" Riho gasped as the ronin collapsed in a heap.

Takashi managed a laugh that quickly dissolved into the unfortunate mound of leafy dirt chosen by the kami to receive the impact of his face. "I'm . . . just a bit hungry."

Despite the ronin's best efforts, his consciousness finally gave way to a world of blackness.

>>>Night - December 27, 1582

A short time later, Takashi found himself awakened by the wholesome aroma of roasted fish. His slowly opening eyes revealed a patchwork of black and navy blue that he quickly interpreted as roiling cloud formations in the night sky. Gnarled tree branches overhead flickered in the warm light of a nearby campfire tended by Riho. Takashi quickly rose from a sleeping position and rubbed his sore eyes.

"You're still here?" he questioned.

Riho smiled. "Of course! I couldn't just leave you there, but you're too heavy to carry back to the village. So, I decided to work on your hunger problem with some fish I caught." There was a pause as she fiddled with the twigs that held the fish in place above the fire. "Good timing on your part; I think they're almost done!"

Takashi found it extremely hard to contain himself. Great-smelling food and a beautiful girl to share it with? The days of awful hunger almost seemed worthwhile if just for this moment.

"Thank you," Takashi said as he received a well-toasted mackerel from Riho. "Most people would have abandoned a ronin."

"A ronin, huh?" Riho almost giggled. "What happened to 'traveling envoy of justice'?"

Takashi savored the first bite of what he considered to be the best fish he had ever tasted before answering. "Hey, I'm sure that if I got the opportunity to uphold justice I would most definitely do it."

"Justice?" Riho sighed in a suddenly quiet voice as she gingerly nibbled at her fish. "There used to be a group of people in my hometown who said they fought for that."

After a prolonged silence, Takashi voiced his concern. "And?"

Riho's eyes suddenly looked very sad. "And they were liars."

Noticing the beginnings of tears, Takashi decided to reassure the girl. "Hey, I'm not like that. Even though I'm a ronin, I'll never forget the ideals of bushido or my master's teachings." He placed the remaining bones of the mackerel on the ground before continuing. "I've done too many regrettable things in my life already; the last thing I need is another one."

This comment only seemed to further depress Riho, who stopped eating and turned her face away from the ronin. There was a long silence, during which the fire began to die down. Takashi let his eyes roam over the girl once again. She was indeed almost frighteningly beautiful, but a powerful aura of sadness surrounded her. The ronin couldn't help but wonder what could make such an apparently cheerful person so miserable.

"You know," Takashi finally blurted, desperate for something to say. "That fish was really good."

Riho didn't even seem to hear him. Takashi began to fidget uncomfortably. What in the world was the matter? Why couldn't she say something . . . anything? After another few minutes of silence broken only by the crackling of the fire, Takashi received his wish.

"Really?"

Takashi blinked. "Huh? Well, yeah, of course! I don't think I've ever tasted better fireside fish!"

Riho blushed. "No, I meant the part about the regrettable things you've done." She began wringing her hands nervously before continuing. "What could you have done that you regret so badly?"

A grimace crossed Takashi's young face. He hated talking about that part of his past. In fact, he hated just thinking about it, but for some reason he felt like being somewhat honest with this girl. Maybe it was because he was a sucker for a beautiful woman.

"I killed people." Takashi attempted to state clearly. In truth, the rest faded to a whisper. "I killed a lot of innocent people."

The girl looked intrigued and frightened at the same time. "How many?"

Takashi couldn't believe what he had heard. "'How many'? Why is that important!"

Riho looked almost ashamed now. "It's very important, because I . . ." Tears gathered in her eyes. "Because I . . ."

It took quite a few seconds before either Takashi or Riho noticed the glimmering steel of a katana protruding from the middle of Riho's chest. Takashi's eyes widened in silent shock, but Riho cried out like a feral beast, clutching wildly at the weapon. The blade withdrew soundlessly as a swordsman materialized out of the darkness behind the wounded girl. No, not a swordsman. Takashi noticed the slim waist and definite curvature of a female bosom through the solid green kimono worn by the attacker. A swordswoman?

Before the ronin could force his body to react, the mysterious assailant's blade spun with a quick flash of reflected firelight. Riho's left arm separated from the rest of her body and fell to the ground along with a rush of thick blood from the gaping wound. Another animalistic howl escaped from the depths of the young girl's throat as she doubled over in a kneeling position, her right hand vainly attempting to staunch the flow of her life fluid from the torn muscle surrounding a clearly visible piece of cleanly-cut bone.

The horrific sight caused Takashi's legs to automatically extend. The ronin literally jumped from a sitting position and drew his katana in a blinding arc as he rushed the swordswoman.

"What the hell are you doing!" he cried.

His strike met the attacker's blade with a resounding clang, but his muscles simply would not relent from their forward motion. Takashi struggled forward in an attempt to overpower the female assassin. Sparks flew from the blades as they grinded against one another accompanied only by the muffled screams from Riho, who had by this time nearly placed her head between her knees in agony.

Takashi seemed to be winning the bladed grapple when the attacker's eye met his through a slit in her wide and conical straw hat. The woman's voice was flat and unyielding even as she slowly gave inches of ground to The Greatness.

"Why are you defending this thing?"

"What kind of question is that!" Takashi shouted in response. "What the hell do you think **you're** doing! We were just sitting by the fire and having dinner! Why would you do that to Riho! What did she ever do to you! Huh!"

The attacker's katana seemed to disappear along with the attacker herself from under Takashi's nose. Stunned for a split second as he attempted to rebalance, Takashi felt his legs suddenly leave the ground. That woman had cleanly dodged away from the power struggle and used the sheath of her sword to sweep the ronin's feet out from under him. Rather than simply fall to the ground, however, Takashi twisted his descending body to face the ground and used his left hand to stabilize his landing. The Greatness came to bear again on the enemy as Takashi quickly swept his remaining momentum into a kneeling position. He laughed as his body prepared for another dash attack.

The ronin grinned. "You're not going to win with cheap tricks like that, you arrogant heifer!"

The swordswoman, now across the campfire from Takashi and the gasping Riho, twitched visibly at the insult. "Is that so? Actually, I could have killed you with that motion had I so intended." The assailant's chin arced upwards, and Takashi would have been able to see her whole face had it not been for the shadow of her hat. The one cold green eye that was visible made the ronin's skin crawl. "In answer to your previous question, that 'Riho', as you call her, is a murderer."

Takashi's face seemed to freeze. So that was why Riho had been so interested in his past. Was she guilty of the same crime? The ronin laughed darkly within the confines of his mind. Perhaps something similar, but most definitely not the same. Not so many . . . Not so heartlessly . . .

"There's no way!" Takashi yelled, attempting to give Riho the benefit of the doubt. "There's no way that such a cute girl would do that!"

"Girl?" the swordswoman questioned in what seemed like mild surprise. "You think that thing is even human? Have a good look at your 'cute girl'."

Takashi didn't want to believe what he saw when he turned back to the injured Riho. The previously bright blue eyes now literally glowed as if about to ignite with flame. Long fangs protruded from delicate lips, and ears that had previously been small enough to hide behind Riho's generous locks of black hair now protruded to sharp points in a truly demonic fashion.

"A_ rokurokubi_." the swordswoman commented into the silence cast by Takashi's shock. "A shape-shifting demon that attempts to blend into human society. Many are honestly benign, but just as many give in to their demonic nature and run rampant within towns by night." The single visible eye beneath the straw hat narrowed. "This particular type of demon tends to be more of a trickster than a killer, but once wounded they have been known to suck a human body dry of blood to regenerate their own health. After that initial feeding, they find the taste hard to resist and often continue to feed until killed." The assailant brought her heavily stylized katana to bear on Riho's head. "A farmer's entire family met that fate in a town just northeast of here; his wife and three young children were found drained completely. A tavern owner saw a girl that the townspeople knew as Riho fleeing the scene, and I've been offered a hefty reward for returning with the demon's severed head."

Takashi finally ordered his vocal chords to work. "Is this true, Riho?"

Despite her shifting demonic state, Riho still managed to evoke a pang of sympathy from Takashi. Tears flowed from her shining eyes as she answered the ronin in a distorted voice.

"I'm sorry, Takashi. I tried hard; I tried really hard to stop myself. But they were just so . . ."

Riho placed her right hand over her head and howled once again, though it seemed less a result of physical pain and more a cry of heartfelt remorse. "I don't know what to do, Takashi! What's wrong with me!" The girl's speech was broken by choking sobs. "What . . . what in the hell is wrong with me!"

Takashi looked terrified several moments before Riho easily dodged the attacker's blade and launched herself at the ronin, fangs bared. To the surprise of the nearby swordswoman, Takashi received the attack with open arms, his katana clattering loudly to the ground. He hugged the demon fiercely with his left hand even as her fangs sank into his neck. His right hand moved silently to his remaining weapon.

"I'm sorry, Riho."

Takashi's wakizashi penetrated the girl's forehead as the swordswoman's katana almost simultaneously severed Riho's head from her body. The head hung by its fangs from Takashi's shoulder for a moment before sliding off. The ronin withdrew his weapon and kicked the body into the campfire just as the demon's missing appendage rolled into the flames.

The horrid smell of charred flesh began to creep through the makeshift campsite as the fire consumed what just a few minutes before had been a normal girl sharing dinner with a ronin. Takashi stared in silence at the scene for a moment, his widened eyes flickering wildly in the firelight, his face and upper chest splattered with the demon's lifeblood. The woman in the green kimono remained still for some time as well before noticing a string necklace with a small piece of jade that had fallen out of Riho's kimono during her attack. She knelt down and retrieved the item as Takashi seemed to snap out of his reverie and begin cleaning his stained wakizashi on a piece of scrap cloth. The swordswoman turned the object over in her hands several times before speaking.

"The farmer mentioned that this was missing from one of his daughters. I guess this will do as proof that the demon is dead." She turned to the ronin and observed his quiet actions for a moment. "Why did you kill her so quickly? You seemed desperate to defend her just a few moments ago."

Takashi sighed and answered without taking his gaze away from his weapon. "Because that kind of thing can't be forgiven." He finished cleaning the wakizashi, sheathed it, and began work on The Greatness. "That farmer wouldn't have forgiven her, and I saw what she was feeling in her eyes; Riho wanted to stop, but couldn't control herself anymore. I'm not appointing myself as any kind of judge, but . . ." The ronin's eyes narrowed. "No one can live like that; death was the only release I could give her from the pain of her actions."

"Interesting," the swordswoman commented. "You sound as if you talk from experience."

Takashi rose to his feet while returning his katana to its scabbard. "Well, enough about that. Where are you headed?"

The woman in green looked surprised. "Back to the town to claim the reward, why?"

The ronin grinned. "I'm coming with you."

The swordswoman's dark raven hair shook from underneath her hat. "What? Why should I take you with me?"

"Well," Takashi began with mock haughtiness. "I could claim my half of the reward for helping you out."

The woman bristled visibly and took hold of her sword handle. "Like hell!"

"But," the ronin chided. "I'm not that kind of guy. If you hadn't stepped in when you did, I might have been killed. Therefore, I owe you a favor, and I won't rest until I've repaid it."

The girl in the straw hat calmed a bit and, to Takashi's great relief, removed her hand from the grip of the stylized and grooved katana. "That's . . . quite a surprise. I'd heard differently about your personality from the previous town."

Takashi couldn't hide his sudden confusion. "Wait, why would you know anything about me?"

The woman sighed. "I was hunting the rokurokubi, right? They're known to prey most often on fools and drunkards, which was exactly how the residents of the last village referred to you. I used the demon's heading along with yours to guess the most likely place for her next attack."

The ronin's eyebrow twitched visibly. "Fools and drunkards, huh?" He clenched a powerful fist in determination. "Well, I'll just have to prove that those bumpkins know nothing about the only student of the Jeffy-Yaen style!"

Takashi finished speaking just in time to see that the mysterious swordswoman had already walked off towards the first shafts of daylight that had broken over the horizon. He quickly gathered his weapons, put out the campfire and stumbled after her.

"Hey, you could have waited." the ronin grumbled upon catching up to the woman.

"A student of the legendary Anakouji Jeffery, eh?" she mused as if ignoring Takashi's complaint. "You might just be useful to me if you possess even half of his skill."

Takashi sighed as he walked alongside his new companion. "A violent mission, huh? Already feels like the old days." His facial expression changed for a moment as if remembering something important. "I think you should know that since I'm not claiming my half of the reward, I expect to be fed on this mission."

The woman shook her head. "You never miss an opportunity, do you? Oh well, fair enough, I guess." She held out a slender hand towards the ronin that was accompanied by a uncharacteristically bright smile. "I don't think I introduced myself. The name's 'Noriko', what's yours?"

Takashi smiled somewhat crookedly. Just a short while ago, this "Noriko" had brutally killed a girl that for all the world had looked as innocent and sweet as a child. Now the woman herself had almost taken on that same appearance. What had occurred by the light of that campfire had burned deeper in Takashi's heart than it probably should have, and the ronin knew that. He would journey with this warrior maiden, not so much to repay a debt, but to discover why people smiled the brightest when they had the most pain to hide. The ronin took hold of the girl's hand and shook it gently.

"Takashi, Ueda Takashi."

(End Chapter Four)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

ara - loosely translates as "oh".

yokatta - the literal meaning translates as "it was good", but it is most often used in a similar manner to "Thank God!"

rokurokubi - see description in the chapter text.


	8. Forwarding Address

Chapter Five  
Forwarding Address

>>>Midday - May 1, 1583

"So then," Takashi continued, making emphatic arm motions as he went along. "The vampire rushed at Noriko with an ear-splitting roar!" The ronin crossed his arms akimbo and thrust out his chin. "Being the former samurai that I am, I couldn't just abandon a girl in peril, so I drew the gleaming blade of holy might that is The Greatness and dove into the fray!" Takashi made sure to add several slashing motions to his arm movements to further impress his captive audience.

Takashi, Megumi, and Fuji all seemed to be sharing a meal made out of last night's leftovers while the two Jeffy-Yaen trainees listened to a version of Takashi and Noriko's first meeting that was thoroughly impressive, if only for its thorough inaccuracy. However, in truth they were simply wasting time while Jeffy and Noriko hunted down whatever had been following them south along the Tokaido Road. Each of the three candidates who had been left out of the search party due either to their excessive noisiness or combat inexperience had been chosen instead as a decent distraction for whoever their pursuer happened to be. Indeed, the three looked as if they were sharing an ordinary meal, except for the fact that none of them had yet eaten a single bite. Takashi was too busy with his storytelling to indulge in such things, and Fuji and Megumi, exhausted from their earlier activities, had decided to occupy their time by nearly draining the party's supply of fresh water.

"That's so incredible, Takashi-san!" Megumi exclaimed, her eyes practically aglitter. "What happened next?"

Fuji couldn't help but smile. Even he could tell that Takashi had seriously altered the account of what had taken place on that day, but the extent to which that remained true was a mystery to the apprentice. He made a mental note to acquire Noriko's side of this particular story when he got the chance to do so.

Takashi made a fierce stabbing motion as a response to Megumi's enthusiasm, adding an extra dose of bravado to his voice for effect. "Whoosh! With a single stab to the head, the monster fell dead at my feet and disintegrated into dust."

Several harrowing motions accompanied the next part of the tale which Fuji took great care not to burst out laughing at.

"I smoothly sheathed The Greatness and turned to the damsel in distress as the mortal terror began to dissipate from her young and inexperienced eyes."

The ronin assumed an oddly feminine kneeling pose and clasped his hands upon his kimono-clad chest. Fuji quickly determined that Takashi had assumed the role of the "damsel in distress".

"Oh brave samurai," Takashi exclaimed with a voice that in no other situation would have passed for feminine. "I am eternally in thy debt! Wouldst thou accompany me on my quest so that I might reward you along the way with copious amounts of food and possibly my virginity as well?"

Megumi adopted an extremely confused look upon that statement, which Fuji was grateful for since it allowed the red flush that had temporarily overtaken his facial area to go unnoticed.

Takashi once again adopted his extremely masculine standing pose before answering himself. "Why yes, young Noriko; I shall travel with you to the ends of the very earth to thwart whatever evils stand in your way!" Getting slightly carried away with himself, Takashi leaned over in a lascivious manner, moving his story into the realm of pure fantasy. "Now, about this virginity thing, I think I can help you there . . ."

Fuji suddenly burst out laughing, which snapped Takashi out of his daydream and brought an even more confused look to Megumi's face. The ronin scratched his head with mock embarrassment as the apprentice began to calm down.

"Okay," he admitted. "So I made the 'virginity' part up, but the rest is pretty much what happened."

"Pretty much, huh?" Fuji managed as he quelled the hilarity that had so suddenly exploded from within. "So, what is it exactly that Noriko-san is after?"

"Well," Takashi began to answer. "Supposedly, her father was murdered while she was away at training. She's looking for the guy that did it."

Fuji was none too surprised. He recalled that something similar had been said by the ronin during last night's discussion.

"So how will she know who it is, and why is she heading for Mt. Gozaisho like Jeffy-sensei and I?" the apprentice queried.

"We've been tracking the guy using the one piece of information we do know about him." Takashi replied. "The only thing missing from Noriko's father when she found him was a simple string necklace with a bright blue triangular jewel attached to the end of it. The thing is really recognizable when worn out in the open, and the guy we've been following seems to love showing it off." Takashi sighed before continuing. "The last thing we heard was that the culprit was headed south along the Tokaido Road toward Komo Town, so here we are."

"Okay," Fuji mused, digesting the information. "So how does Megumi fit into all this?"

Takashi chuckled. "I was wondering when you'd ask that. Get this: she's an Iga Ninja."

Fuji almost recoiled in shock. "An Iga!" The fact that Megumi was a former ninja was nothing new to the apprentice, but would never have guessed her to be from the clan widely reputed to be the most dangerous and vicious of them all. "Megumi is from the Iga Clan!"

Megumi looked distressed before Takashi attempted to calm Fuji.

"Yeah, I know; that's what Noriko and I were thinking when she attacked us in black clothes during the daytime and totally screwed up." the ronin commented while shaking his head. "I mean, we didn't even notice her until she landed face-first on the ground in front of us. If it had been any other ninja on the face of this earth, we would have been dead before we knew what hit us."

Megumi's expression of distress turned into an almost comical pout. "You don't have to put it that way."

"Oh, I do have to put it that way." Takashi shot back. "If I didn't say it that way, I couldn't express to the newbie here just how unskilled you are compared to the Iga ninja that came after me before you."

Fuji paused for a moment before figuring out what bothered him about that statement. "Before?"

"Yeah," Takashi sighed. "There was a ninja from the Iga clan who tried to assassinate me before Megumi, and let me tell you, those encounters were like night and day, even literally. Never got the first one's name, but I must have miffed someone bad enough for them to send every ninja in the clan after my head when I defeated her."

Fuji looked suspicious. "You have no idea who it is that hired the Iga?"

"Hell if I know." the ronin answered. "Could be a relative of someone I killed during my service as a samurai, could be someone I offended during one of those episodes I was too drunk to remember, or it could be that the Iga Clan itself has a grudge against former servants of Lord Nobunaga for decimating their province." Takashi looked very serious for a moment. "The only thing I know for sure is that whoever hired the Iga has got some deep pockets. It's not exactly cheap to keep hiring ninja after ninja to kill one guy."

"You think there's a third ninja already out there?" Fuji wondered aloud.

Takashi pointed a conclusive thumb in the direction that Noriko and Jeffy had gone. "That's probably who's following us."

Fuji took a moment to grasp what had just been said before posing his next question. "Okay, so what did you guys do about Megumi? I mean, she attacked you, messed up, and then what? You just let her join you?"

Takashi made a dismissing wave with his right hand. "Actually, I tied her up and left her by the roadside to die of exposure."

"Which wasn't very nice." Megumi added.

Fuji waited for Takashi to continue in the face of such an obvious cliffhanger, but the ronin seemed unfazed.

"And what happened after that?" the apprentice queried.

Takashi covered his eyes with his hand as if remembering something painful. "And she came back. Noriko and I couldn't seem to get rid of her, so we let her tag along."

Fuji was confused. "How did Megumi get out of the ropes?"

The ronin sighed. "Don't ask me, and she doesn't seem to know either."

"That's right!" Megumi chimed in. "I have absolutely no idea how I escaped!"

Fuji gave the girl a withering look. "You say that a little too proudly."

"So," Takashi commented while leaning back into a conveniently sloped patch of grass. "That's the story of how this group came together, except for the part about you of course."

"What about Jeffy-sensei?" Fuji asked.

"Oh, him." the ronin responded. "We ran into each other after Noriko and I left Tado Town to the north. Don't ask me how he caught up to us and all, but he was heading the same way and I'm not sure even Noriko would have refused the legendary Anakouji Jeffery."

"Seems simple enough." Fuji commented. "So what about you, Takashi? I know that you served under Nobunaga Oda, and before that you trained under Jeffy-sensei, but what about before that? I mean, where did you come from?"

Takashi seemed about to answer when a surprisingly cheerful voice answered for him.

"He's from what's now called Old Komo Town, just southwest of the New Komo Town."

The ronin in question froze visibly, his eyes widened to the bursting point and staring straight through Fuji. The unsuspecting apprentice turned around slowly just in time for Noriko to speak up.

"I think we found something of yours, Takashi."

Between the stoic Noriko and the seemingly exhausted Jeffy stood what Fuji normally would have assumed to be a young teenage girl, perhaps 12 or 13 years old and standing fully two heads shorter than the swordswoman to her right. However, several things about the girl seemed a bit . . . off. It could have been the oddly revealing white gi with black fringes that this particular child had chosen to wear that irked the Shinto apprentice. It could have been the stark white hair that fell just short of the girl's shoulders that made her seem otherworldly. It could have been the disturbingly yellow eyes with strangely narrow pupils that so disturbed the young Yamamoto Fuji. But none of these could compare to the almost adorable pair of white-furred cat ears that sprung from just above where a normal set of human ears would be.

A grin almost stretched from ear to ear on the strange creature as she let out a cry of happiness and dove straight at the petrified Takashi, fiercely hugging his still-frozen form.

"I found you!" she exclaimed. "I finally, finally found you!"

Fuji couldn't seem to stop his left eyebrow from twitching. "Could someone please explain what the heck is going on here?"

>>>Night - May 1, 1583

The explanation Fuji sought after would have to wait until later that night, when the group made camp near a lake to replenish the water supply. It had been an uncomfortable trek on the way. No one even attempted to pry the newfound catgirl off of Takashi, who just seemed to be continually spacing out and not responding to anything or anyone. Noriko and Jeffy both remained pretty quiet, and even Megumi seemed to give up on the prospect of conversation after repeated attempts to get Takashi to answer her questions remained unheard.

A campfire had been set up, and Noriko had gone to fetch water from the lake. The tree cover was too thin here to really be called a forest, but it was dense enough to denote the space where the group currently sat as a circular clearing. Takashi still appeared zombified by the recent turn of events, and the cat-like newcomer seemed physically attached to his left arm. Megumi and Jeffy sat wordlessly by Fuji on the opposite side of the campfire. They had finished off the rest of the boar just a few minutes earlier, and the Shinto apprentice was beginning to find the silence unbearable when Jeffy suddenly spoke.

"It is good to see you again, Yuki."

The catgirl looked up from her self-appointed task of snuggling the petrified ronin for the first time that day. "Oh, of course it is, Jeffy-san! I'm just so glad I found this bum!" She looked around at the unusually morose group before continuing. "So, just who are all you people? And what have you done to Taka-kun? He hasn't said a word to me even though-"

Yuki was cut off in midsentence as Takashi suddenly snapped back to reality and yanked his arm away from the girl forcibly. "Why can't you just get off me for one second!"

The catgirl looked as if she were about to cry. "It's been eight years since we last saw each other, Taka-kun! I'm happy that I found you, but you aren't happy to see me. Why?"

"Excuse me," Fuji interrupted. "I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly is your connection with Takashi and Jeffy-sensei?"

Yuki looked genuinely stunned for a moment. "Wow, you other people talk too. What's your name?"

"Yamamoto Fuji," the apprentice crisply answered.

"I'm Anakouji Yuki!" the catgirl announced before Fuji could utter another word. "I'm Anakouji Jeffy's surrogate daughter and Ueda Takashi's childhood friend."

"Oh, so that's how you knew where Takashi was from." Megumi realized aloud as Noriko returned to the campsite with water in tow.

"That's right, Ms. Ninja." Yuki said proudly.

Megumi's cheeks flared up. "The name's Megumi, Ms. Catgirl."

"Ah, _gomen_." Yuki apologized. "Just didn't know your real name, that's all. So really, what are you all doing with Taka-kun?"

Fuji noticed that Takashi shuddered visibly every time the "Taka-kun" nickname was used by the catgirl.

"Actually," Noriko corrected with a slight grin. "The situation is more along the lines of what 'Taka-kun' is doing with us."

"Don't you start." Takashi quietly grumbled.

"Yuki," Jeffy began to explain. "Takashi has promised his services to that swordswoman, Noriko, in her quest to hunt down her father's killer." He pointed towards Fuji and Megumi. "Megumi is a former Iga ninja who joined their group, and Fuji here is helping me in my mission to purify this cursed blade on my back."

Yuki's eyes widened involuntarily for a moment at the mention of the gigantic western broadsword before she regained control over her expressions. Fuji was getting quicker at noticing these things. This obviously suggested that the girl had seen that sword before.

"So Yuki," Noriko queried. "What's your story? You said that you 'finally' found Takashi. How long have you been searching, and why?"

Yuki assumed a calmer, more serious attitude as she answered. "Taka-kun disappeared from Old Komo Town eight years ago. We were best friends, so I started looking for him. Along the way, I got really tired and fainted. That's when Jeffy-san found me and took care of me." She took a deep breath before continuing. "When I was healthy enough, I continued looking for Takashi, and now I finally found him again."

"Wait a minute," Fuji speculated. "We're talking about eight years here, right? That would mean you wandered around in the wilderness for . . ."

"About four years." Jeffy volunteered.

"Yeah," Fuji responded. "How did you survive that long on your own?"

Yuki pointed directly toward her ears. "I'm a _raiju _demon; it's not really that hard."

Fuji still looked suspicious. "Fair enough, but how about after that? Jeffy must have known that Takashi was serving under Nobunaga Oda. Why did it take you so much longer to find him, and what about that 'surrogate daughter' part?"

"That's also easily understood." Jeffy stated. "Takashi was probably moved around a lot within the service, and Yuki wouldn't have had access to information regarding his location. It could conceivably take years to track a specific person down based on personal accounts alone. As for her inheritance of my last name, I did that to protect her on her journey. According to what she told me four years ago, Yuki had been attacked many times because of her _raiju_ blood. With a clear relation to me, however, one would think twice before attacking her again."

"Yep!" Yuki confirmed. "And here I am, back where I belong with Taka-kun again!"

Takashi didn't seem particularly happy about the situation. In fact, his gaze was fixed straight at the ground, his headband and thick black hair obscuring his face.

Noriko turned to the downcast ronin. "So what's the deal, Takashi? You two were good friends?"

Several moments passed before Takashi's simplistic answer came forth. "I've never met the girl. She's freakin' crazy if you ask me."

"Taka-kun!" Yuki gasped in astonishment. "What are you talking about? Don't you remember me?"

"Hell no!" Takashi almost yelled. "And quit with the stupid nickname! You think you can call me something like that after knowing me for less than a day? That'll be 'Takashi-san' from now on, thank you very much."

Yuki looked to be on the verge of tears for the second time that evening. "That-that's cruel, Taka-kun. _Hidoi desu _. . ."

"Okay!" Noriko commented rather noisily upon standing up. "I think that's enough talk for tonight. The lake I got the water from is really warm from the weather earlier today, and I think all of us could use a good bath." The swordswoman removed her weapons and beckoned to the other girls in the party with uncharacteristic kindness. "Yuki, Megumi, I say we take advantage of this before the boys stink it up. Coming?"

Fuji smiled. Was Noriko trying to cheer the newcomer up?

"_Hai_!" Megumi chirped without missing a beat, quickly discarding her weapons belt and headband.

"I-I guess." Yuki responded less than cheerfully as she got up to accompany the other two girls. She gave one last look towards the withdrawn Takashi before she was pulled into the foliage beyond the campsite by Noriko.

"Come on, the water will be cold again by the time you get there!"

Silence pervaded over the campsite once again, broken only by the ever more distant sounds of the girls laughing as they made their way towards the lake. It was Fuji who spoke first.

"What's the matter with you, Takashi-san?"

The ronin looked at the apprentice morosely. "What?"

"You know what I mean." Fuji fumed. "It's obvious that you know that girl! Why did you lie and make her sad? She's been looking for you for eight years!"

Takashi rose from his position on the ground, walked across the campfire, and planted his face less than an inch from Fuji's. Pure anger shone in his dark eyes.

"Keep this in mind, newb." the ronin growled. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about. I think it'd be smart for you to shut up and stay out of other people's business."

"Still," Jeffy interrupted on Fuji's behalf. "It is confusing. You most definitely know her, and she knows you as well. What reason is there to be hostile towards Yuki? She has spent much of her life searching you out, after all."

Takashi calmly walked over to his side of the fire and laid down with a yawn. "I'm getting some shuteye. Wake me when it's our turn to use the lake."

Once Fuji heard snores coming from Takashi, he turned to face Jeffy who was about to adopt the napping strategy of his student.

"This really stinks." the apprentice huffed. "Up until now, things seemed to be going well. What are we going to do? We can't just let these two bicker all the way to Mt. Gozaisho, can we?"

Jeffy smiled. "Sometimes, you just have to take a problem and sleep on it; it usually helps clear your view of the situation. This, I would say, is one of those cases. Wake me when it's time, Fuji."

The apprentice stared into the night sky as the two swordsmen fell into deep sleep and began to snore loudly. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that he was now likely to be traveling with a lightning cat-demon. It had barely been a week since Fuji had started out on this journey, and already it had gotten so complex.

Did any of these people have anything to do with the visions from Amaterasu? Not likely. Fuji was beginning to feel as if swept along by a tide of events that he couldn't stop. No one in this group even knew what he was truly after, or even what he truly believed in. What had started as a safe way to travel to Mt. Gozaisho had not taken long at all to turn into . . . something else.

As his hand began to toy with the black leather book in his travel sack, Fuji mentally kicked himself. He always made this mistake around other people. The apprentice had always found it incredibly hard to detach himself from the problems and concerns of other people, and this group was proving no exception. What needed to be done here was for Fuji to simply stop caring. Yes, it was that simple. That's all that needed to be done for this mission to go smoothly. If you don't care, you can't be hurt.

That was the last thing to cross the apprentice's mind before he faded into a peaceful slumber.

(End Chapter Five)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

gomen - translates as "sorry".

kun - the male version of -chan. Unlike -chan, however, almost never used outside of childhood or very close relationships.

raiju - a Japanese cat demon of the lighting element. The Yuki's appearance does not fit the traditional description of a raiju, but since no one has a photo of one . . . hehe

hidoi - translates as "cruel".

desu - the Japanese "to be" verb. For instance, when paired with "hidoi", it translates as "that is cruel".


	9. A Whisper in the Storm

House of Maxwell Productions  
Presents

Samurai Banzai RELOAD  
Volume 2 - Danger in Paradise (Chapters 6 - 10)

Based on the webcomic Samurai Banzai  
Copyright 2004 Briana Higgins

Written by  
Elite Plushie

Chapter Six  
A Whisper in the Storm

>>>Night - May 1, 1583

"It's just not fair." Yuki pouted. "I spend eight years looking for that creep, and when I finally catch up with him, its all 'I've never met the girl' and 'she's freakin' crazy'." She sighed heavily into the blue lakewater. "Somebody needs to give me my eight years back."

A full moon shone down over the lake, casting bright rays upon the water that reflected back onto the surrounding trees in shimmering blue cascades of light. The body of water was almost completely encircled by an impregnable wall of forest, with the exception of the south end where the tree cover thinned out into what could almost pass for a small patch of marshland that led up to a pockmarked grassy slope. A set of small streams fed the lake from the north side, their slow trickling sounds echoing across the area with a soothing natural melody. Several relatively flat-topped rocks protruded from the center of the lake, one of which Megumi had adopted as a temporary lounging spot. She laid completely bereft of clothing with her back to the top of the stone, her head hanging upside down off of the edge and staring at Yuki.

"That is really weird." she commented. "Just what was your relationship with Takashi like all those years ago? Was he this mean to you back then?"

Yuki rose out of the lake, water running down her young and slender form as she finished rinsing her strikingly white hair. "Mean? Well, Taka-kun was kind of a trickster, but I wouldn't say that he ever intentionally hurt someone's feelings. As for our relationship . . . how would I put it?"

Noriko had submerged herself in the water up to her shoulders, her sharp black hair tied up in a knot to let it dry. She had remained that way ever since arriving at the lake, almost as if chained to the bottom. "It's strange for a human and a demon to have any kind of peaceful relationship at all. Still, you call him 'Taka-kun' all the time; you must have been close."

"Close friends, maybe." Yuki responded as if lost in thought. Noriko noticed that her cheeks were beginning to blush. "Nothing more than that though. I mean, we were kids back then!"

Noriko gave the catgirl a quizzical look. "I never said anything to that effect."

Yuki blushed more heavily and put her hands to her face in embarrassment. "Of course! I knew that."

Megumi rolled over on top of the rock and folded her arms underneath her chin. "So, what're you going to do now?"

"Well," Yuki began. "I suppose I'll just stick with Takashi until he feels like talking to me."

"That's problematic." Noriko stated. "Putting aside the fact that I don't normally trust demons, Takashi has promised his aid to me."

"Yeah," Megumi chimed in. "He's helping Noriko find the man that killed her father. Until he's done with that, it's gonna be kind of dangerous to tag along with us."

Noticing Yuki's now downcast face, Noriko interceded. "Can you defend yourself at all?"

The catgirl's hand extended straight up towards the moonlight just before she shouted a single word into the night sky. "_Kamikaze-ken_!"

Silence pervaded over the lake for several moments before a curious whistling sound began to echo throughout the air. A gleaming sword burst out of the tree cover, rocketed toward Yuki, and assumed a hovering position directly above the girl's extended right hand. Yuki took hold of the blade and displayed it to her shocked bathing partners. The weapon resembled a western short sword, but the actual blade seemed to have been forged out of a curious metal that shone with a pale green color. The hilt was a decidedly simple affair consisting of a pair of brass cross-guards; the handle was wrapped in red leather and ended with a quartz pommel stone set in a comparatively ornate brass receptacle.

Yuki smiled widely as the two girls stared at the curiously western blade. "You think I traveled alone for all those years and didn't learn how to defend myself? I'll just have to show you the skills I picked up along the way sometime."

"I guess I shouldn't have expected any less." Noriko surmised just before inadvertently rising out of the water. She continued to speak despite the fact something had rendered the other two girls slack-jawed. "Well, I'll let you come along with us as long as you don't . . . interfere with . . . What's the matter with you two?"

Upon realizing that she had revealed the entirety of her body, Noriko quickly plunged back into the lakewater with a shriek, this time nearly up to her nose. "You didn't see that." she gurgled.

Yuki recovered the quickest and pointed an accusatory finger in the general direction of Noriko's chest. "Sweet bean curd! Noriko, you are stacked!"

The swordswoman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Am not."

"What are you talking about?" Yuki gasped while attempting to find the right kind of facial expression for the situation and failing miserably. "Do you ever look in the mirror? Heck, you wouldn't even have to with those cannons; just look down!"

Noriko blushed heavily and attempted to sink further without submerging her nose. "Shut up."

"That is just so weird!" Yuki continued, ignoring the embarrassment of the shrinking violet before her. "You'd never guess the size of those things by all that stuff you wear over them, and the rest of your figure is impressive too! What's your secret? Diet, exercise, what?"

Noriko's face had turned completely red before she turned to the other girl. "Come on, Megumi; back me up here! They're not that impressive, right?"

Megumi seemed honestly lost in thought for a moment before answering. "Actually, I've seen smaller melons."

The swordswoman let out another uncharacteristic shriek and turned away from the girls. "That's it! I'm cutting them off, and that's the end of it!"

Genuine fear seemed to strike Yuki and Megumi's faces at the same time.

"Don't do that, Nori-chan!" Megumi cried. "That would hurt a lot, and we'd have to find a doctor, right?"

"Why do you think I wear so much clothing all the time anyway?" Noriko retorted as she began shaking her head. "I hate these things! I hate 'em, I hate 'em, I hate 'em!"

Yuki smiled mischievously and turned to Megumi. "You know, there's only one thing we can do now."

Noriko seemed to freeze visibly as Megumi adopted a hopeful pose with her arms held to front of her chest. "_Honto_? What do you mean?"

Yuki grinned even wider. "We'll just have to tickle her into submission!"

Noriko's face almost broke in half with shock. "What the hell!"

Before the swordswoman could respond further, Yuki made a diving tackle that sent them both below the lakewater. Noriko surfaced first with a gasp and promptly yelped when two slender arms rose up after her and assaulted the girl's midsection. The dignified swordswoman giggled like mad while making vain attempts to stave off her persistent attacker.

"It's over!" Yuki shouted, her face finally resurfacing as she made another tackling move. "Surrender if you value your diaphragm!"

Noriko found it hard to reply amidst laughing fits. "Never! I'll- Ahahahaha! I'll never surrender-er-rahahahaha!"

Yuki's assault forced the swordswoman back into the water face-first. "Megumi! Get her feet!" the catgirl called to the giggling former kunoichi just before diving after the retreating target.

There was another brief underwater struggle before Noriko and Yuki again broke the surface of the lake. The swordswoman made a desperate attempt to keep the catgirl at bay long enough to utter a clear sentence.

"No, Megu! Don't you dare!"

The girl to whom the order had been addressed was in Noriko's face before the woman even finished her statement.

The former kunoichi smiled widely. "_Gomen nasai_,Nori-chan!"

Noriko's laughs turned into full-force screams as Megumi latched onto the swordswoman's ankles and fiendishly tickled the girl while at the same time holding her helpless in coordination with Yuki's efforts.

Amazingly, Noriko managed to shout threats at the attacking pair despite the treatment she was receiving. "You're both dead, you hear me! Hahahaha! I'll kill you! No, I'll kill you twice!"

"Harder!" Yuki exclaimed with great relish.

"_Yokai_!" Megumi responded just before applying the necessary force.

Had the girls not been so involved with torturing and threatening each other, they might have noticed a glint of reflected moonlight from the sloping southern marsh banks followed by a telltale rustle in the tall grass that covered them.

>>>

"Fuji! Fuji, wake up!"

The apprentice responded to the urgent whispers and opened his eyes toward the sky. Night had fallen, and twinkling stars dotted the heavens alongside an exceedingly bright full moon. Fuji turned slightly to the right and noticed Takashi kneeling over him, fully dressed.

"You awake?" the ronin questioned.

"What's going on?" Fuji replied while sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Are the girls done at the lake?"

"Not really." Takashi mentioned as if distracted by something of greater impotance. "Listen, you're interested in learning the Jeffy-Yaen style, right?"

Fuji yawned heavily. "Haven't we done enough for today? Besides, I thought you were still bent out of shape over that thing with Yuki."

Takashi put a hand to his head in exasperation. "Look, there's something going on right now that forces me to completely disregard such trivial matters. I would normally take this task on by myself, but I figured you could use the experience."

Fuji was still doubtful. "What are you talking about anyway?"

"Come on." Takashi muttered as he rose from a kneeling position. "We don't have a big window of opportunity here."

Suddenly overcome by an inexplicable wave of curiosity, Fuji willed his tired body to get up and accompany Takashi beyond the edge of the campsite. As the foliage became thicker and the going subsequently slower, the apprentice's mind took advantage of his body's precise movements to move closer to that state called "fully awake". Questions popped into his mind that had not seemed apparent a few minutes earlier.

"Takashi-san, why is this so important?"

The ronin sighed as he pushed forward into the dark underbrush. "For starters, it's important because we're late; Jeffy-sensei woke up before me and he's probably already hard at work. Second, this kind of training situation is not only very rare, but also worth its weight in gold to a hot-blooded male."

A light clicked on in Fuji's previously foggy head. "Wait, you're going to spy on the girls, aren't you?" Receiving no notable response from Takashi, the apprentice stopped in his tracks. "I won't participate in that kind of behavior! It's indecent, and very inconsiderate to boot!"

Takashi immediately halted his forward advance and turned to Fuji with a very serious expression stapled across his face. "What kind of talk is that? I think you're afraid."

Fuji felt genuinely insulted. "This isn't about fear, it's about doing what's right."

Takashi looked all the more serious as he leaned in toward the apprentice. "What's right, eh? Didn't you say you would try hard to master the Jeffy-Yaen style?"

"Yes," Fuji responded. "But that-"

"The Jeffy-Yaen style is neither precise nor artistic." Takashi ruthlessly interrupted. "However, it will not tolerate weakness in body or in mind. Tell me, Fuji, are you uncomfortable with the thought of looking at a naked woman?"

"Uncomfortable?" Fuji replied even as he felt his face flush. "I guess, but-"

Takashi grinned ever so slightly. "Have you ever even **seen** a naked woman?"

Fuji looked at the ronin sheepishly. "No."

Takashi assumed an authoritative standing position, arms folded across his muscular chest in an imperial manner. "So, if you were to fight against a female combatant and she were suddenly to strip naked, you would lose your cool and probably your life in the same instant."

Fuji could find no suitable reply to the ronin's evaluation. That did indeed sound realistic and quite possible.

"So," Takashi continued, apparently needing no response to his previous statement. "In order to iron out that weakness in your combative abilities, it is necessary for you to be exposed at least once to the bare essentials of womanhood. Wouldn't you agree?"

Fuji found it difficult to answer. On one hand, he had been brought up in the strict value system of the Ise shrine and had not even been allowed to think of women lest they corrupt his spirit. On the other hand, however, was the fact that if he adhered strictly to that principle, the effort to do so might not only cause harm to Noriko-san's mission but also cost Fuji his life.

The apprentice was about to opt for the morally correct choice when Takashi administered the coup de grace.

"Student, are you willing to abide by weakness and forsake your vow to Noriko-san?"

The answer left Fuji's mouth before he could stop it. "No."

"Then come on!" Takashi exclaimed, grabbing the apprentice's arm and pulling him forward. "We've got some babe-watching to do!"

"I'm still not okay with this." Fuji commented, even as he felt his feet moving toward a once-forbidden task. "Just one peek, and that's it for me. You can stay there all day and enjoy lecherous activities, but I am here strictly for the educational-"

The apprentice found his sentence cut short by a signal for silence from Takashi. The ronin pushed forward past one last layer of trees into what appeared to be a very steep grassy marsh bank. Fuji heard the sound of raucous laughter to his left and immediately turned his gaze as far to the right as possible. Just one glance, enough to know the facts, and that was it. Just one, no more.

It was slow, quiet going as the ronin and the apprentice crawled through the tall grass on hands and knees. Fuji in particular made every effort to keep his movements soundless, for he simply did not want to imagine the consequences of being caught in this act. He was still a Shinto apprentice in the eyes of the world, after all. Word could conceivably spread about the event, and his already tarnished reputation would be forever . . .

Fuji's train of thought suddenly derailed as he felt a rock shift and fall off of the small overhang that his left leg had found support on. Both he and Takashi froze for one brief, agonizing moment before the rock descended into the lakewater with a near-silent plop rather than a resounding splash.

The apprentice's relief quickly disappeared as Jeffy burst from cover, grabbed him by the fabric of his gi, and pulled him into a secluded area of even taller grass just under the highest rung of the bank. "Listen, Fuji," he uttered in a harsh breath. "I don't care who you are back in the world. You give away my position one more time, and I'll bleed you, real quiet, and leave your ass here to die, got it?"

Fuji nodded vigorously. "Got it!"

"Not so loud, _baka_." Takashi mumbled as he joined both teacher and student in the overhanging area that, not surprisingly, sported a great, if distant view of the entire lake. "So, what have we got, sensei?"

Jeffy released Fuji with the utmost care and ventured forth, careful not to expose one centimeter of his body beyond the cover of the grass. The sword master's right hand moved to a small brass periscope stored within his red obi, soundlessly withdrew it, and extended it in the same movement.

"Oh, Takashi." he said with genuine awe. "This is indeed a welcome sight to old and tired eyes."

"Don't get too carried away." Takashi chided. "We've still got a newb to instruct over here."

"Wait a minute." Fuji commented. "Why does Jeffy-sensei have that instrument? Were you two thinking about doing this from the very beginning?"

Takashi sighed as Jeffy continued to gawk visibly. "Not really, at least, not in any active way. But a great lesson of the Jeffy-Yaen style can be learned from this." The ronin made sure to pose an authoritative finger at Fuji before continuing. "A real man must always be prepared."

"Okay, you two," Jeffy whispered while handing the periscope to Takashi. "Have at it, and be sure to check out 'Ms. Silent and Stoic' herself. How that rack remained hidden for this long is a mystery I can't even begin to figure out."

"Holy crap!" Takashi almost yelled but managed to whisper after the first syllable. "That's . . . That's just unreal!"

Fuji shifted uncomfortably. It would obviously be his turn to peer through the looking glass next. The apprentice felt his heart beating at twice, even three times its normal pace. His face was already thoroughly flushed, and the blood, having nowhere else to go, now seemed to be rushing straight to his head. Fuji suddenly found it very hard to maintain a sitting position, almost as if his center of balance was off. Could he actually go through with this?

"Well," Takashi began after an extended period of drool-time. "Let's see how our honored guest will react to what's beneath the robes of our traveling companions." He extended the periscope toward Fuji. "Go get 'em, tiger."

The apprentice slowly took hold of the instrument and ventured very cautiously to the front of the overhang where the grass was thin enough to get a clear view of the lake. He couldn't help himself from gulping loudly. There was no turning back now; one way or another, Fuji had to go through with it. The periscope slowly approached the apprentice's right eye. Just a few more inches of willpower . . .

And Fuji saw nothing. He was looking through the instrument all right, and it was aimed correctly, but all the apprentice saw was obscure blackness. Was the thing broken? Fuji removed the periscope from his eye to inspect it for damage, but the blackness did not go away. _Ah, that's it_, Fuji thought as the swelling in his head suddenly overpowered his brain with a warm, fluidic sensation. _So this is what it feels like to pass out._

Takashi and Jeffy, intently focused as they were on the actions of the girls below, failed to notice the two streams of blood that began to trickle from Fuji's nose. They immediately reacted, however, when the apprentice suddenly pitched forward and began to slide down the marsh bank.

"Shit!" Takashi and Jeffy exclaimed simultaneously as they both made a last ditch attempt to grab hold of the descending Fuji. They succeeded in that particular effort, but instead of stopping the apprentice, they found themselves pulled into his forward momentum. Three bodies suddenly and, at least from the girls' perspective, unexpectedly plummeted with great clamor down the marsh bank and landed with a humongous splash in the lakewater below.

Jeffy was the first to surface in a very calm manner, followed quickly by a gasping Takashi making his best effort at hauling the unconscious Fuji onto dry land.

"Hey!" Takashi shouted at the drenched apprentice. "You alright, Fuji? Is that blood coming out of your nose! Jeez, man, wake up!"

"Takashi . . ." a very calm and level voice uttered.

The ronin froze, not daring to look back. "Um, yes?"

A very angry-looking Noriko used one arm to cover her chest and the other to wield her grooved katana. "What is the meaning of this?"

Jeffy smiled widely and stood as if to walk away. "You just wouldn't believe this guy, Noriko-san. He dragged both Fuji and I into the act of spying on you girls. I apologize on his behalf."

Takashi shot a fierce glare at his teacher. "You rat-bastard!"

"Takashi," Noriko growled. "I've warned you about this kind of activity in the past, and not only have you ignored my warning, but you've also dragged an innocent boy into your depravity!"

The ronin made as if to reply, but was quickly cut off by the steel-edged voice of the swordswoman.

"Tell you what, Takashi. I'm a fair woman; I'll give you a four-second head start. If you think you can gain enough distance from me in four seconds to make my aim with this sword inaccurate, you're welcome to try."

The ronin's face nearly turned white. He knew full well what happened when someone tried to run from Noriko's sword. "That's a death sentence, Noriko! I'm really sorry, okay? I'll never do it ag-"

"One." the swordswoman began, already preparing to throw the sword.

"Son of a bitch!" Takashi swore, scrambling toward the cover of the forest.

Yuki appeared behind Noriko with an expression of shock. "When did you start using language like that, Taka-kun? Shame on you!"

"Two." Noriko grinned, making a move for her discarded clothing.

Jeffy chose to quietly make his way back toward the campsite.

Megumi piped up cheerfully next to Yuki. "Run for it, Takashi-san! _Ganbatte_!"

"Three."

Takashi ran full-tilt for the tree cover. "Oh shit-oh shit-oh shit-oh shit!" Just a few more yards to go . . .

Noriko's katana buried half of its gleaming blade into an unfortunate tree just inches from Takashi's head with a sharp thud. The ronin froze in surprise before turning around slowly.

"What . . . What happened to 'four'?" he whimpered.

Noriko smiled with great malice as she finished putting on her kimono and hakama. "Who told you to stop running!"

Takashi screamed and bolted into the forest as Noriko dashed after him, pulling her sword out of the tree to further torment the ronin. Yuki recovered her own clothing and joined in the chase as well.

Megumi dressed in a slower manner than the other girls who quickly disappeared amongst the foliage in pursuit of Takashi. Having fully arranged her clothing, she knelt beside the still unconscious Fuji, looking over his drenched form with great curiosity. Just what was so interesting about the female body anyway?

After a few moments of silent contemplation, the former kunoichi raised a tentative hand to her right breast. Her bosom was nowhere near as large as Noriko's, but nonetheless ample in its own right. Megumi seemed to sink even deeper in thought, examining her breasts as if for the first time. Was this what attracted human men? Were these objects capable of driving even a Shinto apprentice to acts of lechery?

The girl's right hand departed from her chest and began to smooth out the frayed locks of blonde hair from Fuji's face. Something was different now. Something that Megumi felt on the inside, not just when she looked at Fuji, but Takashi as well. It was pleasant in a way, but also sad. The girl's faint smile threatened to disappear as she gazed at the apprentice. The feeling was sad because it could never be realized.

A sharp screeching noise echoed from the north end of the lake. Megumi's entire body reacted at once to the clamor. The pupils of her eyes narrowed in fear just before she almost instinctively darted into the underbrush.

Yamamoto Fuji awoke several minutes later to Takashi's desperate cries for help that emanated from the general direction of the campsite. The apprentice rose wordlessly from the wet ground and jogged toward the disturbance, attempting to clean off the back of his gi as he went, and totally unaware that Megumi had been kneeling over him just a few moments before.

>>>

At the very northern tip of the wooden area, a dark shadow lingered out of place in the moonlight. The tall pine trees cast their shadows to the southwest, but a patch of darkness remained on the north side. Furthermore, this shadow possessed a human shape. It stood with its back against a tree, silent head bowed down, and strong arms crossed over a muscular chest. The only hint of color on the creature was a dark crimson scarf that wrapped itself around the shadow's neck and trailed down to its waist.

"Kumo?" a whispered voice called from the dark.

Shisho Kumo, an Iga ninja of exceedingly high repute, responded in voice only; not a single inch of his body betrayed recognition of the voice. "I am here as planned, Megumi. You, however, are late."

"Sorry, I got held up." the voice from within the darkness of the trees replied. "This group doesn't calm down even after the sun sets."

"Despicable." Kumo almost spat. "To think that Izumi fell in battle to these buffoons."

"Not 'these'," the voice corrected. "Only one of them is responsible for my sister's death, and it is that much more of an insult." A pair of bright yellow eyes gleamed from among the branches of an especially ancient pine tree. "This 'Takashi' will pay dearly for his crime, but what of Mt. Gozaisho? I trust you have already completed your investigations."

Kumo's eyes narrowed behind a black cloth mask that covered everything but his field of vision. "The situation at Mt. Gozaisho is steadily declining. It is has become unsuitable for the plan."

Surprise made its way into the voice from the darkness. "Unsuitable?"

"Another party has taken the shrine." Kumo explained. "They have eyes that even one such as I barely managed to avoid. If you are going to complete the mission, you must take action before they pass through Komo Town."

The disembodied voice sighed. "Very well then; we shall expedite the plan. Are you prepared?"

Kumo fondled the hilt of a meticulously sharpened tanto. "Always."

The voice emitted a dry chuckle. "Together, Kumo, we will reclaim the honor of the Iga clan and avenge my sister upon that blithering ronin." The next sentence sent chills even through the normally steel-nerved Kumo. "Takashi, you will beg for death before I am done with you."

(End Chapter Six)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

Kamikaze-ken - translates as "Sword of Divine Wind".

honto - translates as "Really?"

gomen nasai - translates as "I'm very sorry."

yokai - basically, a signal of affirmation, like "Roger!".

baka - loosely translates as "idiot".

ganbatte - means "do your best", but is often used in the same context as the English phrase, "Good luck!".


	10. Pain by the Numbers

Chapter Seven  
Pain by the Numbers

>>>Morning - May 2, 1583

Nobumitsu was a large man by any definition. He stood fully six feet tall, with thick muscle rippling throughout his well-tanned frame. Short, spiky black hair adorned his head along with a stern gaze and a perfectly square chin. His ordinary gray gi was tied only loosely to his waist by a white obi, allowing the garment to fall open around the collar and expose a hairless torso with pectorals and abdominal muscles that appeared as if chiseled in stone. A pair of matching gray shorts accompanied the gi in an effort to stave off the massive heat wave that had recently descended upon the region.

These features caused Nobumitsu to stand out from the daily crowd that flooded the shopping district of Komo Town. The man looked left and right as he walked toward the grain seller. A warm smile crossed his face, but the sternness never left his brown eyes. The bright sun above shone down upon townspeople full to the brim with vigor and purpose. Komo Town was by no means large, but its people had worked hard for many years to build this place. Nobumitsu felt a swell of pride when he thought about that.

Despite the disaster of Old Komo Town eight years before, a new and better town had resurrected the spirit of the citizens. Everywhere he looked, Nobumitsu could see the faces of honest, hard-working individuals. The tenants at the local inns had just finished their morning cleaning and stood outside to invite travelers into their quaint yet charming abodes. The salesmen of the marketplace proudly displayed their wares to customers side by side, creating a stupendous tapestry of delicious food, clothing, tools, and all manner of goods.

Nobumitsu turned his gaze toward the sky. Komo Town, a town created from wood, stone, and the thriving spirit of revival. Like the phoenix, born from the fires of destruction. A sad expression made its way across Nobumitsu's face. That night eight years ago . . .

Nobu banished thoughts of that tragedy from his mind as he pushed aside the cloth hanging from the entrance of the grain seller's shop. "_Ohayo_, Taroto-san!" he exclaimed.

The shopkeeper had lived an unusually long time; Komo Town had never existed for Nobumitsu without Taroto-san. The kind old man was well into his 60s and possibly early 70s, but he had always and probably would always love children. He had even once been kind enough to take in three orphans from outside the village.

Taroto-san laughed heartily and pointed a finger knotted with age at his customer. "You have always been the most punctual child in this town. I've never known you to miss your weekly stops by more than a minute or two."

Nobumitsu smiled. There had been a few times when he had missed those weekly stops. Of course, during that time, the shop had ceased to exist, along with the rest of the town.

"It is important for a man to be on time." Nobu replied, standing just inside the smallish wooden sales floor. "How else does one prove to be reliable?"

"Well put, son," Taroto commented. "Well put indeed. So, are you here for the usual?"

"That's right." Nobumitsu answered. "Three days' supply of white rice for my sister and I will do. I'm sure by now that you know the amount."

Taroto laughed once again as he opened a barrel to his left. "The day my memory starts to fade that badly, I want you to finish me yourself, Nobu."

Nobumitsu smiled warmly. It was expression he gave only to those he loved. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, old man."

"So," Taroto began while filling a cloth pouch with the rice grains. "How goes the formation of the town militia?"

Nobu sighed heavily. "Absolutely nowhere. There are very few able-bodied men who are interested in the job. Despite what happened all those years ago, there still seems to be a general attitude that nothing like it will happen again." He paused on that sour note before continuing. "If only we had more young ones like the Kajikura brothers; those two will make fine guardsmen one day."

Taroto smiled knowingly. "Indeed they will. From the very moment that they saw you stave off that pair of armed bandits from the marketplace with your bare hands, they've wanted to be just like you." He finished measuring the rice and handed the pouch to Nobumitsu. "When do you suppose you'll find them camping out in some secluded corner of your house again?"

Nobumitsu chuckled while sorting through his money. "It is becoming habitual isn't it? Their parents are furious every time." He paused, allowing Taroto to respond, but the old man simply stared beyond Nobu and out into the streets.

The town guardian finished counting the money and pressed the coins to the shopkeeper's hand. "Taroto-san? Are you alright?"

Taroto seemed to snap out of a trance. "Oh, sorry my boy." He quickly counted the coins in his almost skeletal hand. "Just the right amount, as always. So, will you tell your sister Tomoe hello for me?"

"Indeed I will." Nobumitsu replied, securing the rice to his obi and beginning to walk back outside the shop. "See you again, Taroto-san."

"By the way," Taroto shouted after him. "You should get a good look at what just breathed in the north entrance."

"The north entrance?" the town guardian questioned quietly before turning his gaze to the aforementioned place. Suddenly, his combat senses took over. There were six strangers; none had before visited this town. Three katanas, two wakizashis, one broadsword, and a belt of kunai between them.

Nobumitsu did his best to keep his cool. It was not often that visitors bore weapons into the town without the intent of causing trouble. The guardian flexed his gigantic muscles with an audible stretching sound. Nobu had always despised weapons, preferring to overcome foes with his raw power alone. However, he might have to rethink his strategy against that many combatants.

Still, they did not appear especially threatening at the present moment. Nobumitsu allowed his eyes to take in the travelers' full appearances in order to calm his nerves. There were two apparent leaders of the group, judging by the fact that they walked ahead of the rest. Both wore conical straw hats that were fairly common throughout the region, but their similarities ended there.

One was an elderly man, not as old as Taroto-san, but in his later years nonetheless. Clothed in a white kimono, red obi, and black hakama, he hobbled forward in an unusually graceful manner on a pair of old wooden crutches that had not strayed far in craftsmanship from their previous occupation as tree branches. A sheathed katana and wakizashi adorned his left hip, looking far too well-kept to be the weapons of a bandit.

The other leader was almost completely covered from the neck down by a thick brown cloak, a clothing item known to be more common in the far northern provinces. Nobumitsu could just make out a green kimono and gray hakama from the separation at the front of the cloak, but the faint protrusion on the left side gave away the presence of a weapon. It was only natural, judging by the length of the protrusion, to assume that the weapon in question was a type of katana. This particular individual chose to keep his head low, which obscured his facial features. What the pose did not hide, however, were the locks of dark raven hair that made their way past the shelter of the straw hat and descended to just above shoulder height.

Of the four who followed behind the leaders, the boy in the white gi and simple gray pants looked the least threatening, chatting amicably with his companions. One thing that did stand out about him, however, was his unusual blonde hair. Nobumitsu raised an eyebrow. Komo Town had boasted quite a few travelers since its completion, but never one from overseas. Was this boy some sort of merchant?

The girl who possessed the belt of kunai was dressed in a dark blue gi and precious little else. Nobu felt like detaining her for indecency alone, but who knew? Perhaps she was some sort of courtesan? The wild brown hair that covered one side of her face and fell past her waist in the form of a ponytail seemed seriously out of place with that assumption. Her headband also sported a metallic medallion. A kunoichi, perhaps? No, they never traveled with this sort of crowd.

Nobumitsu ceased his wonderings about the scantily clad girl and gazed over the party's smallest member, who was covered completely from head to toe by an exceedingly simple hooded cloak. The garment was similar to the northerner's design, but not as thick. Could the group be attempting to conceal this one's identity?

The last member of the group was a dark-skinned man with a violet kimono, gray hakama, white headband, and an unkempt mess of jet-black hair. He carried the remaining katana and wakizashi in the group, moving at a slower pace. Nobumitsu initially assumed the boy's slowness to be caused by the gigantic western broadsword slung across his back. However, upon closer inspection, Nobumitsu noticed several bruises, a black eye, and white bandages placed all over his person. Had these travelers recently seen combat? And if so, why was only one of them injured in such a manner?

Nobumitsu suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia pass through his mind. The boy in the violet kimono . . . Nobu was sure that he had never seen the man in his life before now, but there was something oddly familiar about him. Perhaps he was a blood relative of someone who Nobu had encountered long ago?

No, the boy was too familiar for that. However, the simplest answer was also the least likely. It simply couldn't be him . . .

>>>

"I can't . . . believe . . . we finally . . . made it." Takashi gasped as he and his companions entered the northern entrance of Komo Town.

"Aw," Noriko cooed with mock concern, looking back towards the ronin. "Is walking too hard for poor Takashi?" Her face suddenly transformed into a mask of anger. "Could it have something to do with that light amount of punishment he received last night?"

The ronin simply shuddered in response.

"I think we should leave as soon as we can." Yuki complained from beneath the heavy cloak that Noriko had loaned her. "I hate having all this cloth on me; it makes me feel all cooped up."

"It's kind of necessary." Fuji commented. "A lot of people would freak out if they saw a demon walking right through the middle of town, and we need to keep a low profile if we're going to find out about the guy that killed-"

"Noriko's father." Yuki interrupted. "So who asked you anyway, priest boy? Let's see you walk around in this stinking heat trap for a while."

Megumi smiled widely and leaned down to Yuki's height. "Someone's real grumpy today."

"You bet." Yuki grumbled. "So, Noriko, what's the plan?"

Noriko stopped and turned to the group along with Jeffy. "Well, I'm off to find some information about my father's murderer."

"Oh yeah," Takashi replied sarcastically. "That leaves a heck of a lot for us to do."

Noriko's face once again twisted into anger. "I don't recall asking for your opinion, pervert."

"Unfortunately," Jeffy interceded. "I must also take my leave of you for the day. I need to find someone who knows the exact whereabouts of the shrine at Mt. Gozaisho, that is, unless our young apprentice here happens to know the way.""

"I'm afraid that I do not." the apprentice conceded. "I just heard about what happened to it; I've never actually been there."

"In that case," Jeffy surmised. "I'd better get to work. _Mata ne_!"

Noriko watched the sword master depart before turning again to the rest of the group. "If you guys need something to do while Jeffy and I are getting info, you might try renting a room at one of the local inns. I think our business here may extend overnight." She put her right hand to her chin, as if trying to decide something. "Now let's see; who can I trust with the money pouch?"

It didn't take long for her to decide. "Okay, would you mind handling the funds, Yuki?"

"That's a great idea." Takashi sneered. "Give all the money to the one we know the least about."

"Still gonna keep that act up, huh?" Yuki mumbled from beneath the shadow of the hooded cloak. "Even so, I'd prefer it if you didn't add anymore weight to me. This cloak is stifling enough as it is."

"Hmm," Noriko mused. "Well, then I guess it falls to you, Fuji."

Fuji looked genuinely shocked as Noriko placed the pouch in his hands. "What? Are you sure you can trust me with this?"

Noriko made a half-grin. "What did I tell you before? I don't trust anyone. However, Yuki doesn't want it, Takashi would just blow it on sake, and Megumi . . . Well, I'd rather leave it with you."

"Hai." Fuji replied in a subdued tone. It seemed like he still had a ways to go in that "trust" department.

"Okay, people." Noriko stated as she began to depart. "Try to get someplace decent."

As soon as Noriko faded into the crowd, Fuji suddenly felt the money pouch leave his hand by Takashi's efforts.

"Hey!" the apprentice shouted in surprise. "What are you doing? Noriko asked me to take care of the funds!"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Takashi remarked off-handedly as he began to head off to the east side of town and examine the coins within the cloth pouch. "I'm gonna go get some sake."

"How disgraceful," Yuki protested. "You know how mad Noriko will be if she finds out you spent her money on booze. Just what kind of person have you become anyway?"

"I'm sorry," Takashi replied, putting a cupped hand to his left ear. "Did somebody say something? I could have sworn somebody asked me a question." The ronin shrugged his shoulders. "Must have been the wind."

"Takashi!" Megumi fumed. "Yuki-chan is talking to you!"

"Really?" Takashi sarcastically responded. "Never heard of her."

"Let it go." Yuki said, placing a hand on Megumi's arm. "If he wants to be a child, then let him." Her eyes narrowed beneath the hood. Just what was the matter with this guy?

"Still," Fuji interjected as the group proceeded behind the steadily advancing Takashi. "I need to be handling the money. We can't just go and blow it all on sake! Noriko will be seriously pissed!"

Takashi smiled as the heavy broadsword clanked across his back. "It's times like these, Fuji, when you should remember who is the teacher around here. I'm obviously doing this for your benefit; the Jeffy-Yaen sake-drinking techniques are an important part of your training."

Fuji sighed heavily and decided to make a compromise rather than carry on the argument. "Okay, but we're only having one drink and that's it. You hear me? After that, we're going straight to an inn."

"But Fuji-san," Megumi commented. "What about Noriko's money? We can't just spend it like that."

"Don't worry." Fuji replied with a touch of exasperation. "I have enough to pay for it myself."

"Whoa!" Takashi shouted, stopping suddenly and turning to Fuji. "You would buy the drinks for me? Obviously, you have less to learn in this area of your training than I thought."

Fuji cast a withering look at the hapless ronin. "I'm beginning to think that you often use the words 'my training' in place of 'your mooching'."

"That could very well be true." Takashi grinned. "But it is of no consequence; I have sighted the perfect opportunity for a cheap drink."

The group's eyes all turned in the direction of the ronin's outstretched finger to an outdoors ramen bar that protruded from the surrounding buildings.

Fuji looked at the construct suspiciously. "I know that can't be a place to get good sake, and I've never even had any."

Takashi slung an arm around the apprentice's shoulders and ushered him to a seat at the bar while laying aside the cursed broadsword. "I never said it would be high-quality, but since you're new, we'll start off light."

No one seemed to notice the concern that crossed Megumi's face when she saw the broadsword laid to rest next to Takashi. Nonetheless, she took the seat next to Takashi with great apprehension in her movements while Yuki wordlessly assumed a position next to Fuji. The catgirl laid her head down between crossed arms on the wooden counter as if to take a nap.

"So," the owner of the establishment commented as he approached his four new customers. "What can I get for you today?"

Takashi raised his middle and index fingers. "Let's get two bottles of sake and some drinking bowls." A mischievous smile crossed the ronin's face. "Oh, and my friend Fuji right here will pick up the tab."

Fuji looked very downcast as he rummaged through his meager wallet. "I thought I said one drink."

"Hey," Takashi laughed. "Don't look so glum, my student! You're about to get your first taste of true manhood."

Yuki shifted in her resting pose. "And that worked out so well the last time."

Takashi paid her no heed as the bottles were brought to the counter. "Alright, let's get cooking."

Megumi shifted restlessly in her seat.

_He's coming; I can hear him._

"Now, the secret is," Takashi began to explain to the apprentice.

_Any minute now, it'll all be over._

"You've got to sip almost gracefully." Takashi continued while taking hold of an empty bowl. "Kind of like this."

_I can't._

"You tip it up, and slowly . . ." the ronin commented while making the motions with the bowl.

_Why can't I!_

Megumi's right hand shot straight across Takashi's back just in time for a kunai to bury half its blade length into her palm. The girl shouted in pain as Takashi and Fuji turned completely around to face the threat.

"What the hell!" Takashi shouted upon seeing Megumi's injured hand.

"There!" Fuji pointed. "Somebody's on the roof!"

Shisho Kumo looked genuinely surprised on a rooftop across the street, his loose, dark red clothes fluttering in the breeze. The ninja quickly recovered from his shock and made a motion as if to depart. "Mission failed. Returning to fallback point."

Yuki suddenly and unexpectedly shot out of the ramen bar and removed her cloak in a single swipe. Her pupils had narrowed to feline slits and the golden irises shone bright yellow with anger. She snatched the kunai out of Megumi's palm, flew through the air, and plunged the weapon into Kumo's right shoulder. Due to the unbelievable speed of the action, Kumo and Megumi cried out in pain almost simultaneously.

The catgirl sneered with murderous intent. "'Returning to fallback point', huh? He might be a real jerk, but no one tries to hurt Taka-kun and gets away with it!"

(End Chapter Seven)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

ohayo - translates as "good morning".

mata ne - translates as "see you later".


	11. The Man is Back in Town

Chapter Eight  
The Man is Back in Town

>>>Midday - May 2, 1583

"Come on, faster!" Takashi shouted as he ran full tilt down the shadow-laden alleyways of New Komo Town. "We're not gonna lose this ninja!"

The sound of the ronin's heavy equipment clanking across his back nearly masked the sound of slipping roof shingles from the buildings above. As Fuji and Megumi struggled to match Takashi's maddened pace, they caught short glimpses of the third Iga assassin and Yuki chasing each other across the rooftops of the town. Both combatants were extremely fast, but the ronin was determined not to lose them.

"The ninja?" Fuji questioned. "What about Yuki? We're trying to help her, right!"

"Yeah," Megumi chimed in, fighting back the pain of her wounded left hand. "Yuki-chan could get hurt fighting that guy! He's an Iga! "

"Ha!" Takashi laughed. "If your skills are any kind of indication, then I don't think that counts for much."

The former kunoichi's face flared with embarrassment for a moment before responding. "That's not the point! Aren't you worried?"

The ronin's common grin disappeared. "I don't waste time worrying about people I don't know and furthermore don't care about."

Fuji groaned in frustration and redoubled his efforts to keep up with Takashi, who was now making sharp turns as they got closer to the residential area. "Okay, who do you think you're fooling? It's obvious; no, it's **been** obvious that you know her! How else could she know all that stuff about you?"

Takashi sighed. "Don't ask me, but I know for a fact that whoever she says she is, that thing is not Yuki!"

Fuji cocked an eyebrow as he finally managed to catch up with the ronin. "Oh, now we're getting somewhere. So you do know someone named Yuki, huh?"

Takashi shook his head. "This isn't the time, Fuji. We're about to reach a clearing."

A ceramic roof shingle barely missed the apprentice's head and caused him to fall back slightly. "Oh, this is definitely the time. I'd love to know exactly who it is that we're trying to help out here."

"That doesn't make sense," Megumi commented. "How could she not be Yuki? That's her name, right?"

"Look," Takashi conceded. "How old does this 'Yuki' look to you?"

"Like, twelve, right?." Fuji offered.

The ronin's eyes narrowed. "The Yuki I knew in my childhood was a half-demon. She didn't age any differently from a human being. When I met her, she was the same age as me."

"So what's your point?" Fuji interrupted upon seeing a bright shaft of light shine through ahead.

"The point is this," the ronin responded. "Whoever it is that recently joined us looks exactly like Yuki did eight years ago; not one thing has changed." Noting the silence from his companions, Takashi added, "If that's not enough to convince you, I watched Yuki die eight years ago when my hometown was destroyed. Now, if you've got some way to explain how someone not only comes back from the dead but stops aging at the same time, I'd be more than happy to listen."

>>>

"Kamikaze-ken!"

Kumo barely had time to dodge the green blade that spun through the air directly towards his pursuer. The catgirl deftly caught the sword in her right hand without missing a step on the shingled rooftops.

"Get back here!" she yelled.

The ninja simply looked straight ahead as he ran, deeming a response to the command to be imprudent at the present time. The last thing he had expected to fight today was a raiju demon; how careless of Megumi to leave out that little detail. It was also interesting to consider how his attack had been thwarted. Indeed, Kumo had not aimed for a vital spot; the point of the attack was to provoke the ronin into anger and a subsequent pursuit that would have left him quite vulnerable to any trap the ninja could have devised.

Of course, now that the plan had not only failed but resulted in his own injury, Kumo had to think of a way to shake the cat-demon off of his tail. The ninja continued to ignore the kunai sticking out of his shoulder as his eyes darted about beneath his face mask. There had to be something . . . A residential area? Interesting . . .

Kumo jumped right into a clearing between the buildings, drew a tanto, grabbed the nearest person available, and backed up against a wall while holding the weapon to his hostage's throat. The ninja looked down for a split second. Great, he had apprehended a struggling 10-year-old girl. Oh well, as long as it worked . . .

Yuki hit the ground of the residential area with subtle grace, bringing the greenish blade to bear on the ninja amidst screaming townspeople. "Drop the girl so we can settle this proper." she growled.

Kumo noted the sudden entrance of Takashi and his two companions before giving a reply. "Allow me to depart, and you can have the girl."

Takashi quickly drew The Greatness. "You're a bit outnumbered here, ninja! There's no way I'm letting you go!"

Kumo pressed the tanto blade dangerously close to the girl's throat. "One more word out of you, ronin, and you'll have this child's blood on your hands. Would you like that?"

"_Nii-san_!" the child in the ninja's arms cried. "_Nii-san_! _Tasukete_!"

The tanto blade nicked even closer, drawing a drop of blood from the girl who abruptly became completely silent.

"No deal, ninja." Yuki stated flatly. "You're going to die today; that much is certain. Your only choice is whether to leave this world with or without honor."

Kumo quickly sized up the demon and the ronin. Which one was faster?

"Hey, are you listening!" Yuki shouted. "Drop the girl and I'll do my best to make it painless, you stinking vermin!"

The ninja withdrew his blade and threw the girl at the cat-demon in the same movement. "Catch."

Yuki made a grab for the shocked child as Takashi dashed forward.

"Your ass is mine!" the ronin shouted.

Kumo smiled underneath his mask; this boy was much slower than he looked. "Not today."

The ninja turned to run just in time for a fist with the size and constitution of a brick to plow right into his face. Kumo quickly recoiled, but not fast enough. The tall, burly man who had attacked him pulled the kunai blade from the ninja's right shoulder and made a motion as if decapitate the assassin.

"You touched my sister with your foul hands, ninja!" Nobumitsu growled. "Now you die!"

Kumo barely dodged the blade and leaped away toward an alley on the other side of the clearing. He had nearly rounded the corner when a katana materialized out of the darkness just a few inches from his face. A woman in a straw hat and cloak appeared along with the weapon, forcing the injured ninja back towards her comrades.

"Where do you think you're going?" Noriko questioned sarcastically.

With the town guardian and the ronin almost upon him, Kumo quickly detonated a smoke bomb. Noriko stabbed forward with her katana in retaliation only to realize her mistake when Kumo grabbed hold of her blade hand and reversed the direction of the swordswoman's attack. The smoke from the bomb quickly dissipated to show the ninja holding Noriko with her own sword to her throat.

"How many times do I have to do this!" Kumo shouted, still feeling the pain from the kunai and fist that had connected with him. "Since you won't let me go, I'll just have to take this woman as a parting gift!"

"Everyone, cover your eyes!"

Kumo looked in the direction of the voice just in time to see the boy named Fuji aim an innocent-looking paper fan at his face. It was the last thing he would see for quite some time. A bright flash of light exploded out of the Fan of Uzume, causing the ninja to release Noriko in shock and grab at his eyes. Demons? Town guardians? Magic weapons? This was just not his day.

Noriko struck directly behind her as soon as she felt the intense light fade away from her eyelids, but a cloud of dissipating smoke was all that remained of the ninja who had taken her hostage. Takashi and Fuji simultaneously arrived at her side.

"You alright, Noriko?" Takashi asked just before he felt The Greatness leave his hand. The ronin didn't even have time to protest before he felt his own blade pressed against his throat. He looked along its length to see Nobumitsu grasping the handle.

"Okay, people." the guardian stated calmly. "I don't take kindly to folks who come to this town and cause trouble. My name's Nobumitsu, and I'd like to ask you all to calmly explain what's going on here. If there's any funny business, I'm more than capable of stopping you." The man's eyebrows furrowed deeply. "All of you."

"Brother!"

The girl who had been Kumo's first hostage latched onto Nobumitsu's midsection and hugged him fiercely despite the fact that the man absolutely dwarfed her.

"Don't hurt them, brother; they saved me." the girl pleaded.

Noriko rose quickly and straightened her kimono and cloak. "I'd like to thank you for helping us out, sir." she responded, taking care to keep a level tone of voice and bowing low. "My name is Itagaki Noriko, and you might consider these people to be my entourage. We are traveling in search of a murderer who may have passed through your area. The one who held your sister hostage was an Iga ninja. We don't know why, but they've been on our tail for quite some time."

Nobumitsu considered this for a moment before withdrawing The Greatness from Takashi's throat and offering it back to the ronin handle-first. He noted the boy's cocky glare before giving his answer. The similarity was striking, but not enough for the guardian to deny reality.

"A person who brings trouble here, for whatever reason, is still a troublemaker and thus a danger to the entire town. I would normally give you the boot this very instant, but," Nobumitsu looked down toward the hopeful eyes of his sister, Tomoe. "Seeing as you've disposed of the ninja and spared my sister's life, I will allow you to conduct your investigations until noon tomorrow."

Noriko smiled with uncharacteristic warmth. "Thank you very much, kind sir."

Nobumitsu waited until the group had gathered before him before continuing. "So, tell me more about this murderer." Now that he had the chance to look into the eyes of these people, they looked somewhat more trustworthy than they had earlier that morning.

Noriko's smile gave way to a stern frown upon describing the person in question. "He is a tall, lanky man wearing a black kimono. The only prominent feature that we've been able to establish is a string necklace that he wears with a bright blue triangular jewel attached to the end."

"Hmm," Nobumitsu mused. "I don't believe I've seen anybody of that description, but the gatekeepers might have seen something. A murderer in town is certainly something worth investigating. I shall report my findings to you at the end of the day. Which inn are you planning on staying at?"

Noriko turned to Fuji. "So, where did you guys get a room?"

Fuji cocked an eyebrow. "Takashi might have more to say about that."

Noriko suddenly noticed her money pouch affixed to the ronin's belt. She quickly repossessed the item and shook it in Takashi's face.

"What is the meaning of this!" she shouted with great annoyance.

The ronin simply smiled and made a victory sign with his right hand. "Your words hold no meaning! Sake is worth any sacrifice!"

Until that day, Nobumitsu had never seen anyone, much less a woman, punch harder than he could.

>>>Night - May 2, 1583

Nighttime descended softly on the rooftops of Komo Town, the last red rays of the sunset fading gently past the horizon. The great masses of pine trees that surrounded the town swayed in the breeze while Mt. Gozaisho loomed overhead to the south. The sounds of the townspeople slowly faded and gave way to the faint chorus of crickets that, at least for a moment, made Fuji feel at home.

The apprentice gazed into the starry skies above from the inn's balcony as Noriko, Jeffy, and Nobumitsu conversed inside. Megumi had fallen asleep shortly after Fuji finished bandaging her pierced hand, and Yuki, after a few vain attempts to converse with Takashi, had joined the former kunoichi in slumber. Takashi himself rested his eyes while leaning back in the wooden chair next to Fuji's, probably awaiting the news from what was being discussed inside the rented room.

After a few moments of silence, the apprentice turned to his companion with a question. "If Yuki isn't who she says she is, then why would she be traveling with us?"

Takashi groaned. "It's not like it makes any sense to me either, kid."

Fuji waited for the ronin to continue, but there was no response. "Well, if you're so sure about her identity, why not confront her? Why not tell Noriko-san? In fact, why not ask Jeffy-sensei about it? He took care of her just a few years ago, right?"

Takashi focused on the sky above. "It's just way too strange to accept or even talk about. Everything about her fits into place except for two things: her age, and the fact that she died eight years ago." The ronin turned to the apprentice. "Why do you think I'm so creeped out about it? People don't just rise from the grave and keep on living. I did ask Jeffy-sensei about it, and he just said that he trusts her. So, the way I see it, she's someone I don't know who happens to look a lot like someone I did know and loves to ask questions about me." Takashi gave a dry cackle. "Still sounds pretty messed up, doesn't it?"

Fuji couldn't help but smile. "So she's either a zombie or a stalker? Yeah, that about fits the definition of 'messed up'."

The apprentice noticed the departure of Nobumitsu from the lower floor just as Noriko and Jeffy emerged onto the balcony.

"So," Takashi began. "What's the plan?"

Noriko grinned. "First, I'm never lending my money pouch to anyone ever again."

"Second," Jeffy stated. "We split up in the morning."

"Why is that?" Fuji questioned.

Noriko sighed and leaned back in a third chair. "According to the gatekeepers of the town, a man fitting the description of the guy I'm looking for headed out of town to the southwest." The swordswoman's eyes narrowed. "However, he was seen along with two other men."

"That's odd." Takashi commented. "We've never heard of him having travel buddies before. Any idea who they might be?"

Noriko gazed out at the rooftops. "One wore a hooded cloak, a lot like what we gave Yuki to wear this morning. No one could point out anything special about him, but the other guy carried a massive chain and had bleached his hair stark white."

Fuji heard a faint creaking noise from Takashi's chair. Upon inspection, he realized that the ronin had tightened his grip on the armrest.

"Anything else?" Takashi questioned in a much lower tone of voice.

"Well," Noriko pondered. "The one with the chain didn't wear a shirt, but that was all that Nobumitsu could get the guards to remember. Anyhow, we're splitting up in the morning because the man went in a different direction than Mt. Gozaisho."

Jeffy grinned. "Fuji, you're the only one who needs to accompany me, though Megumi may come as well if she so chooses. I managed to get directions to the shrine, so we'll be heading there in the morning." His grin grew wider. "And this time, I'll be asking you to carry the sword."

Fuji smiled in return. "I don't mind; the thing isn't as heavy as it looks. So Yuki and Takashi will be the ones helping Noriko?" A worried look crossed the apprentice's face. "That means it'll be a three-on-three battle."

Noriko patted the katana at her side. "I'd normally take them all out myself, but I'd rather be prepared for adverse situations and accept some backup. You do want to fulfill that promise of yours, right Takashi?"

The ronin took a moment to respond. "Yeah, but what about after we're done? I'd probably go meet everyone else at the shrine. What do you plan on doing?"

Noriko smiled. "Simple, I'm going home. The rest of you can do what you will."

Fuji looked down at the deck. "So that's it, huh? We just do what we came here to do, and then go home?"

"Hey, don't sound so down about it!" Jeffy laughed. "Purifying that cursed sword is going to be tougher than it sounds, and you wanted to train with me, right? If you wanted, you could journey back to my home and partake of the Jeffy-Yaen style at its birthplace."

Fuji considered it for a moment, and a lot of thoughts crossed his mind in that brief period of time. Purify a sword first, then train in a fighting style? What would happen after that? The apprentice was no closer to figuring out his visions now than when he'd begun just over a week ago. Was this really his appointed task? Considering the scope of the destruction within his dreams, Fuji was forced to say no. One sword couldn't possibly cause the calamity that he had envisioned, and training in a fighting style while staying in the same place didn't sound like the proper way to go about completing his mission, whatever that may be.

"Thanks for the offer, Jeffy-sensei," Fuji answered. "But I don't think I should stay in one place for too long. I may end up departing just like Noriko after I'm done with the cursed sword."

The apprentice rose with a yawn and turned to walk indoors. "I think I'll hit the sack for tonight, guys. See you in the morning."

Jeffy and Noriko bid the apprentice good night, but Takashi remained oddly quiet. Still, who could figure what ran through that guy's mind anyway? Who could figure what ran through any of their minds?

Fuji looked at the sleeping Yuki and Megumi as he walked quietly through the dark room. When this was over, Yuki would go with Takashi wherever he went. Megumi would probably go with Noriko. Jeffy would return home. Noriko would do the same. And Takashi, wherever he ended up going, would at least be guaranteed some sort of company.

Fuji suddenly began to feel very alone. It was apparent, now more than ever, that he was the only one concerned with the Amaterasu's intentions and by far the only one thinking about the future of Japan. Everyone else had something to look forward to at the end of this; everyone else had somewhere to go or something to do. Fuji sighed. He couldn't do anything with his life until he had completed his mission, but he didn't even know how to accomplish it.

The apprentice laid down and pulled a cover up over his prone form, his head resting on a small pillow. Even the thought of sleep didn't comfort Fuji. Where would he go next? What did he have to do to go back home to the life and people he cared for? _Maybe I'm not cut out for this journey_, Fuji thought as he drifted off into sleep. _At least, not if I have to end up alone . . ._

(End Chapter Eight)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

nii-san - translates as "older brother", but most often used in an affectionate manner, much like the "-chan" and "-kun" suffixes.

tasukete - basically, a cry for help.


	12. Careful What You Wish For

Chapter Nine  
Careful What You Wish For

>>>Unknown

Ping . . .

The sound of a bell woke Yamamoto Fuji from his deep slumber. The apprentice opened his eyes to find himself staring into an empty white space. There was definitely ground to walk on in this place; Fuji found no difficulty in standing up from his prone sleeping position. However, nothing was visible. Everything around the apprentice was a blank white space.

_Ping . . ._

Fuji didn't know why, but the bell sounded as if it were calling to him. He began moving in the direction of the bell and quickly noticed that black lines spread out from him wherever he stepped. They seemed to be contour lines of a dirt path, almost as if scratched on paper with a charcoal stick. When the apprentice moved on, the lines disappeared. One thing, however, did not appear as if drawn in charcoal.

_Ping . . ._

The cursed broadsword that Jeffy-sensei had received from Takashi hung in midair, pointed downward and still resting inside its heavy scabbard. The object seemed to increase in size as Fuji moved towards it. By the time the apprentice had almost reached the floating sword, it was the size of a mountain - a mountain that simply hung overhead as if ready to plunge through the world itself.

_Ping . . ._

Fuji suddenly noticed the sound of laughter coming from ahead. Five children played in a sandbox underneath the sword. The children's bodies seemed to be completely black, almost as if five shadows had departed from what cast them and taken on a life of their own. The only objects that adorned the pitch black silhouettes were masks that looked strangely familiar to the apprentice. One wore a mask that looked like Takashi. Another shadow child wore a mask that appeared to be imitating Noriko. There was another child who imitated Megumi, and yet another who masqueraded as Yuki. The fifth child wore a mask that was entirely blank except for a tuft of white hair on top.

_Ping . . ._

Upon closer inspection of the laughing masked children, Fuji found that they were not simply playing in the sandbox. Each of them seemed busy making statues out of the sand, statues that looked exactly like the person each individual child was attempting to imitate. The child who Fuji did not recognize seemed to be crafting a very long chain out of the sand that looked for all the world as if it had been forged from iron.

_Ping . . ._

Fuji looked up from the sandbox to see three more children standing side by side, each of them holding a different-colored glass bell. The child farthest to the left looked like a younger version of Yuki and held a green bell. The child in the middle bore a striking resemblance to Takashi, and possessed a red bell. The final child to the right had no face at all and sharply rung a blue-colored bell.

_Ping . . ._

The shadow children playing in the sandbox faded into nothingness, but their sand statues remained. Fuji was afraid to move any further. What was going on here? Was this a dream? He looked upwards once again toward the impossibly huge sword towering overhead. What was the meaning of all this anyway?

_Ping . . ._

Upon hearing the green bell ring, Fuji looked down to see the three children standing much closer to him. In fact, the only things separating the apprentice from these apparitions now were the sand statues of Takashi, Noriko, Megumi, and Yuki. The chain of sand came to life and wrapped itself around the right arm of the faceless child like a boa ensnaring its prey.

_Ping . . ._

This time, the child who looked like Takashi rang the red bell. Each bell had a different tone, and they rang in order at even intervals from left to right. Fuji decided to say something to the children.

"Hello," he started, holding out a hand. "My name is Fuji. Who are you three?"

The child who looked like Takashi smiled. "My name's Ueda Takashi!" The apparition offered its left hand. "Do you want to be my friend, Mr. Fuji?"

Fuji took hold of the hand and looked closer at the child. It hadn't seemed apparent at first, but now that Takashi had been reduced in age by at least 10 years, he looked very familiar, as if the apprentice had known him long before the advent of his journey towards Mt. Gozaisho.

Suddenly, the child holding the blue bell dropped the instrument. It hit the invisible ground and shattered into several hundred pieces. No one but Fuji seemed to take note of this event, but the faceless child walked forward toward the younger Takashi just before a bolt of lightning struck the shards of the broken bell. Instead of fading, however, the bolt simply hung there, just like the sword above.

"Hey now," the faceless child said, grabbing hold of the Takashi child's right arm from behind. "That just won't do, Taka-kun. Aren't you supposed to be my friend instead?"

The young Takashi's grip on Fuji's hand loosened and the apparition seemed genuinely struck with fear.

Fuji's ears picked up a barely audible whisper coming from the child who looked like Yuki. She seemed to be saying the same thing over and over.

"_Watashi wa mite_. _Watashi wa mite_. _Watashi wa mite_ . . ."

"Come on, Taka-kun." the faceless child pleaded. "Join us . . ."

The ground began to rumble, and the sword above glowed with a reddish light. Fuji looked down to see blood streaming from the eyes of the sand statues.

A dark smile appeared on the faceless child. "Join us in hell!"

The faceless child twisted and broke the young Takashi's arm, causing him to cry out and drop the red bell. The ground began to quake more intensely, and there was an audible popping noise. Fuji looked up to see the scabbard of the giant broadsword come unhinged from the hilt and plummet straight downwards. The point of the scabbard crushed the body of the childhood Yuki into a bloody pulp; her green bell crashed on the ground a moment later.

Suddenly, the white space disappeared. A flaming village erupted from the empty space, smoke trailing towards the sky where the broadsword still hung, glowing with a blinding red light high above the burning buildings. Fuji felt waves of heat wash over his face and literally tasted the ash on the wind's breath. The child who looked like Takashi knelt over on the ground, cradling his broken arm and crying out in pain. The faceless child turned to look at Fuji.

"You'll go to hell too."

The sand chain on the faceless child's arm transformed into metal and shot straight towards the startled apprentice. Fuji put his hands up to protect himself, but the chain simply went right through his extended palms and plunged deep into his face. The apprentice's hands fell limp at his side, and all he could think about was the cold feeling of the cast-iron chain sliding out of his head with a wet squelch.

"AAAAAAGH!"

Yamamoto Fuji sat bolt upright in his bed and immediately knocked his forehead against a much more resilient one that belonged to Anakouji Jeffery. The apprentice fell back to the pillow and clutched at his newly-aching head, still panting with fear at the dream he found himself unable to remember.

Jeffy smiled widely. "Nightmare?"

Fuji nodded wordlessly.

"Terrible things they are," Jeffy mused. "Perfect waste of a good night's rest. Anyhow, you're a bit late. Everyone else is ready to go." The sword master removed the blanket from Fuji's prone body and tossed a fresh white gi at him. "Get dressed and meet us outside."

As Fuji rose and shook the long locks of blonde hair from his face, he saw Jeffy turn to him just before going downstairs. "Oh, by the way, Takashi's gone missing."

>>>Morning - May 3, 1583

The apprentice emerged from the inn's front door several minutes later to find Noriko, Megumi, Yuki, and Jeffy awaiting his arrival. A pinkish glow on the clouds to the east pinned the time of day as sunrise. Many of the buildings still cast long shadows and the streets were nearly bereft of townspeople.

"So," Noriko grinned. "Look who's up."

"What happened?" Fuji queried. "Where's Takashi?"

Noriko held up a small piece of paper. "He must have departed sometime during the night. All his stuff was gone when we woke up; the only thing he left was this note."

Fuji noticed a particularly depressed look on Yuki's face before making his next inquiry. "What's it say?"

Noriko rolled her eyes. "'My promise is fulfilled.' Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?."

Fuji pondered this for a second. "Do you think he went to take care of your father's murderer on his own?"

"Why would he do that?" Yuki wondered aloud. "There are two other guys with the one Noriko is after. Why would Taka-kun take on all three of them without us?"

Jeffy stroked his mustache in a thoughtful manner. "Takashi does possess quite a bit more noble spirit than it might at first seem, but this course of action is foolhardy, even for him. There must be another reason for his departure."

Noriko shrugged her shoulders and straightened the straw hat resting on her head. "He probably got scared and decided to bolt on us. Maybe he thinks that note will dissuade me from chasing my father's killer."

"Takashi-san wouldn't do that!" Megumi argued. "Would he? He's come with us this far, right?"

"Us?" Noriko replied. "He's been coming with me to help complete my mission, which will continue as planned despite his absence." The swordswoman shouldered a travel sack and began to walk toward the town's west exit. "Nobumitsu said something about some strangers picking through the ruins of Old Komo Town to the southwest. That's where I'm headed; the rest of you can go wherever you choose."

Jeffy looked at the departing Noriko and sighed. "Well, I guess that's that. Come on, Fuji. Megumi, Yuki, you're welcome to tag along if you'd-"

Jeffy found himself talking into thin air.

Fuji skidded to a halt in front of Noriko with both hands outstretched as if to bar the swordswoman from any further movement.

Noriko gave the apprentice a quizzical look. "What're you doing?"

Fuji was lost for an answer. What was he doing anyway?

"Listen," the apprentice finally responded. "I can't explain why, but I think something really bad has happened to Takashi."

Noriko raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? If he'd been forced to run, he would've left his stuff at the inn."

"That's not how it is." Fuji stammered, pausing for a moment as memories of his nightmare began to resurface. Perhaps that wasn't a nightmare. Maybe it was a warning.

"Besides that," Yuki interjected, standing alongside the apprentice. "Taka-kun might have gone to Old Komo Town to get your father's murderer for you, right? If that's the case, then I'm coming with you!"

"We can't let you go by yourself, Nori-chan." Megumi pleaded. "You'll need all the help you can get; you don't even know what you're up against? Right Jeffy-sensei?"

Jeffy approached the group. "They've all got a very good point, Noriko, and I don't mind taking the scenic route to Mt. Gozaisho. Would you allow us to accompany you to Old Komo Town?"

Noriko looked around at her insistent followers before sighing heavily. "I guess you could all come with me. It's not like I'd refuse the help, but I'm not going to waste any time looking out for you guys. If you get in trouble, I won't be there to help you; is that understood?"

"Hai!" the group responded all at once.

Noriko bowed her head and continued moving toward the west exit. "Jeez, you don't have to be so enthusiastic. Now, let's get moving."

Fuji smiled as he fell in step behind the others. It looked like the group would hold together for just a bit longer, but the apprentice couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Takashi. He may have been a lot of things, but a coward? Fuji had never gotten that impression from the ronin at all.

"Um, Fuji?" Jeffy asked. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

The apprentice looked toward the sword master innocently. "Like what?"

Jeffy quickly looped the scabbard belt for the cursed broadsword across Fuji's back and secured the blade in place. "You're supposed to carry this for today."

Fuji nearly bent over double from the combined weight of the sword and the travel sack. "I thought I was only supposed to carry this to the shrine."

"Think about it this way," Jeffy grinned. "It'll be good exercise on the way to Old Komo Town."

Fuji thought about giving a reply to Jeffy's statement, but a powerful wave of evil energy that emanated from the broadsword silenced his thoughts. The apprentice had almost forgotten just how intimidating this weapon was up close. How did Takashi and Jeffy manage to carry this for so long? Didn't they feel this overwhelming aura?

Fuji's mind drifted back to the dream of the previous night, in particular to the massive image of the broadsword hanging over a burning town.

"Hey, Noriko?" Fuji questioned. "Did Nobumitsu-san happen to mention how Old Komo Town was destroyed?"

"Yeah." Noriko answered. "He said there was a bandit raid eight years ago. The town was razed to the ground when the buildings caught fire. Why do you ask?"

"Never mind." Fuji responded even though an immense wave of dread passed over his body. "It's probably not important."

>>>Midday - May 3, 1583

The pine forests surrounding Komo Town were none too difficult to navigate, and a clearly-worn path wrapped around the Suzuka Range southwest toward Old Komo Town. Fuji could feel and hear the wet pine straw crunching underneath his feet as he trekked along behind Jeffy and Noriko. Rolling mist and dew-induced fog reduced visibility, but the apprentice could still see dark storm clouds beginning to block out the sun high above. There would be some rain today, that much was certain.

"Hey, Noriko?" Fuji wondered aloud. "When you find this guy who killed your father, what are you going to do?"

Noriko sighed heavily. "What kind of question is that? You think I'm tracking this guy to invite him to a tea party or something? I'm going to kill him, plain and simple."

Fuji looked downcast. "Just up and kill 'im, huh? What if there's some sort of story behind it? What if he didn't really kill your father?"

Noriko's eyes narrowed. "How else would he have the necklace? Even further, why should I believe anything the guy says? The murderer would probably say anything to save his own neck." The swordswoman looked back towards the apprentice with disbelief in her eyes. "You really need to wise up, Fuji. Thinking too much about other people's circumstances will only get you trouble in the end."

Fuji simply sighed. Why be so hasty to kill someone? Was not one life equal to all the others in this world? Perhaps it wasn't practical, but there had to be some other way of determining the murderer's identity besides the ownership of the necklace.

Yuki and Megumi had walked either beside or just behind Fuji since they had entered the forest. The apprentice found himself unable to further ignore the downcast look that had dominated the catgirl's face ever since the disappearance of Takashi.

"You going to be alright, Yuki?" Fuji questioned.

The catgirl sighed. "Yeah, I just hate not knowing where Taka-kun ran off to. What if he's in trouble? What if I don't find him again?"

Megumi fell in step next to Yuki and put a hand on her shoulder with a bright smile. "Don't worry, Yuki-chan! Remember what Takashi said: as long as the swords exist, they'll bring you back together!"

Yuki stopped suddenly and threw Megumi's hand off of her shoulder, staring with disbelief at the suddenly apprehensive girl. "What did you say?"

Megumi put her hands over her mouth and backed up against a tree, catching Fuji's attention as well. The former kunoichi eyes darted from left to right as if she were afraid of something in the trees. "I didn't say anything. Nothing at all."

Yuki's confusion only multiplied. "Takashi used those exact words, but that was eight years ago! How could you possibly know about that?"

Fuji was puzzled as well. "The swords will bring you back together? What does that mean?" He touched the broadsword across his back. "Are you talking about this thing?"

Megumi looked as if she were about to panic when Jeffy-sensei suddenly appeared in the midst of the three followers.

"Quiet, guys." he whispered. "Do you hear that?"

The entire group ceased their movements to listen. After a few moments, a faint rustle emanated from up ahead.

Noriko drew her blade and pointed it ahead on the path. "Come out!" she shouted. "We know you're there!"

There was a louder rustle just before a man stepped out into the middle of the path and faced the group. His long black hair fell down past broad shoulders, nearly blocking out the calm gaze that seemed seriously out of place with being caught in the act of eavesdropping. He was an older man, possibly in his early 40s, clothed in a black kimono and gray hakama. A polished katana and wakizashi hung from his white obi, but the feature that truly drew the attention of the group was the bright blue triangular jewel that hung from his neck.

The stranger smiled warmly and raised a hand in greeting. "Hello there."

Noriko stood dumbfounded for a moment at the head of the group, her blade falling slightly at the sight of her target. It was only a few seconds, however, before the identity of the man registered in her mind. Her face transformed from a look of surprise to a mask of murderous intent. She rushed forward at the man, katana poised to take his head as a souvenir.

"I found you, murderer!" Noriko yelled.

The stranger simply disappeared into the foggy underbrush. Noriko's rapid pursuit caused her to disappear along with him.

"Come on!" Jeffy shouted, abandoning his crutches and rushing forward just as Yuki's ears twitched in response to a noise from above.

"_Abunai_!" the catgirl exclaimed, quickly grabbing hold of Jeffy's waist.

The sword master stopped just in time to avoid three rectangular objects that buried themselves in the ground at his feet. Jeffy looked upwards to see the sun obscured not by the clouds or treetops, but by the silhouette of a rapidly descending assailant. The father of the Jeffy-Yaen style barely drew his katana in a defensive maneuver before the attacker struck downwards with more rectangular objects, using them like daggers. This new combatant backflipped out of the failed attack and assumed a fighting stance in front of Jeffy.

The newcomer was dressed in a simple manner. A pure white kimono adorned the man's nimble form, its clean appearance obstructed only by a brown cloth vest, brown obi, and wooden clogs worn on the feet. The assailant also possessed jet-black hair that fell in unkempt locks over his most peculiar feature, a white straight-angled mask that covered his entire face with the exception his shadowy eyes.

Jeffy lost no time in responding to the sudden attack. The sword master seemed to fly rather than run at his opponent, his katana blade cutting a near-blinding arc that would have separated any normal man from his head. However, the newcomer simply blocked the forceful strike with a pair of those odd paper-thin rectangles. Jeffy anticipated a counterattack and immediately drew his wakizashi to block. The retaliatory strike did indeed take place and met head-on with the defending wakizashi, however, the stranger's rectangular weapons nearly cut the blade from its hilt with a resounding screech.

Jeffy immediately backed away and examined the damaged weapon before sheathing it. If just a little more force had been put behind that move, he would have only had one blade left to fight with. Just what were those instruments?

Fuji was nearly lost for words when he took a closer look at the rectangles that had become embedded in the ground. Various symbols in red and black colors adorned their surfaces along with Arabic numerals. "They're playing cards!" the apprentice shouted just before a look of confusion suddenly crossed his face. "He's fighting with paper cards?"

Megumi looked dumbfounded. "How is that possible? How can you block metal with paper?"

Jeffy smiled as his opponent readied another attack. "It's actually very intuitive. Paper is normally harmless, but you can get a cut from it at the right angle. He's using the edges of the playing cards in tandem with precise balance as an attack form."

Yuki grinned. "He thinks some playing cards are going to beat us? Kamikaze-ken!"

The greenish blade spun right through the treetops and came to rest in the catgirl's right hand. She positioned the blade for an upper body thrust and rushed at the card-wielder, who promptly trapped the short sword between a pair of cards and twisted it from Yuki's grip. The assailant expertly caught the sword's handle as it spun in midair. Yuki overbalanced and plunged toward solid earth just before making a quick, almost instinctive recovery that propelled her back toward her comrades. The catgirl's embarrassment at the loss of her weapon soon became apparent.

"Give that back!" she shouted at a more desperate level than seemed normal for the situation. "That doesn't belong to you!"

The assailant deftly twirled the blade as a dry cackle emitted from within his hauntingly white mask. "Give it back? You don't even know how to use this!" Setting his legs apart and raising the blade up high in a horizontal fashion, he uttered one simple phrase.

"Kamikaze Awake!"

The blade of the Kamikaze-ken glowed with an intense green light just before an incredible wind funnel issued forth from within the weapon's grooved hilt. Megumi found herself bowled head over heels by the force of the blast. Jeffy used his crutches to stand firm on the ground while Yuki and Fuji kneeled down low, supporting each other with their combined weight.

"What is this?" Yuki questioned, mostly to herself. "How did he get the sword to do that?"

"Who are you?" Jeffy shouted above the raging whirlwind. "Who can possess such knowledge and skill in these parts?"

A louder cackle echoed behind the attacker's mask. "No one in these parts can; I'm a foreigner! I've been known by many titles in northern Europe and some parts of Africa . . ." The man bowed his head slightly. "More often than not, they call me 'Wild Card'."

Jeffy smiled widely. "Interesting, but we don't have time for games. Fuji, ice the bastard!"

The apprentice wordlessly drew the Fan of Uzume, gave everyone a moment to close their eyes, then unleashed the Light of Amaterasu with a blinding flash. The whirlwind abruptly ceased and a massive cloud of dust followed in its wake. Jeffy regained stability in his stance and placed a cautionary grip on his katana handle.

"Is everyone alright?" he questioned.

Wild Card exploded out of the mist and swung the Kamikaze-ken down at the vulnerable sword master. Jeffy blocked just in the nick of time, but shock crossed his face when he saw straight into the dead blue eyes of the assassin. They seemed to be devoid of pupils.

"Fuji!" Jeffy shouted with alarm. "He's already blind!"

(End Chapter Nine)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

watashi wa mite - a phrase that loosely translates as the command "look at me".

abunai - literally means something like "danger", but is often used in the same context as the command "look out!".


	13. Tanuki

Chapter Ten  
Tanuki

>>>May 1575

The clouds where white. The sky was blue. The clouds were also something else . . . perhaps "fluffy"? The raccoon dog sat at the edge of the forest gazing up at the midday sky. Most of her kind did not participate in this kind of behavior, but she was different. "Different", that was another word she'd have to remember. It made sense to remember that one since it described her.

The clouds and the sky would have to wait their turn in the animal's thoughts for now; something more urgent required concentration. There was another word that needed to be remembered, something like a name. The raccoon dog delved deep into her mind without moving one fur-covered muscle. Memory had always been a problem for her. Others of her kind never concerned themselves with deep thought of any kind, but once again, Tanuki was different.

Tanuki? Was that the name? She could remember many humans calling her by that name. However, it had also been applied to many other raccoon dogs. No, Tanuki was trying to remember something more specific. She spent at least one portion of every day trying to recall a particular name she had once been given. The name was important. Tanuki wasn't sure why, but it was almost as if that name was the last remaining fragment of a long-forgotten past.

Tanuki gave a low growl of frustration and laid down in the cool grass. It was warm during this time of year, and the heat was not really to her taste. At least that trait seemed somewhat linked to her species' preference for nocturnal activities. Tanuki had spent many long hours attempting to sleep during the day, but her efforts were always in vain. It was as if the daytime called out in an audible voice to her.

Speaking of voices, Tanuki could hear several humans approaching from just over a grassy hill in front of her. She quickly retreated into the shady cover of the forest where her black and gray mottled coat would serve as excellent camouflage. Most raccoon dogs would have gotten as far away as possible from humans; villagers in the area routinely scoured the forest for the animals' prized fur coats, and they rarely cared if the raccoon dog attached to the desired object had any opposition to such acts of morbid thievery.

Thinking about that made Tanuki instinctively edgy, but she soon relaxed. These voices were very familiar; they belonged to a group of children from the village. Human children were known to play pranks on forest-dwelling creatures from time to time, but they never partook of any activities that involved skinning woodland residents alive.

The three humans surfaced over the grassy hillock, each of them dragging what looked like weapons. Weapons? Tanuki's hackles raised involuntarily. What were these children going to do with weapons out here? Had her assumption been wrong?

Despite the feverish plea from her fight-or-flight instincts, Tanuki willed herself to stay completely still. The weapons seemed far too large for the children, or really any full-grown adult to wield. They couldn't have come here to hunt with those instruments. Still, if not that, then for what purpose had the children brought these monstrous blades to the forest?

In the end, Tanuki decided to simply lay low and listen for clues as to the intentions of the children. Due to another strange difference from the rest of her species, Tanuki could understand human language. Remembering it, however, was another story. Now what was that name again?

Hideaki stood a head taller than his two companions. He waited on top of the grassy hill, easily tossing an ornate short sword with a blue-tinted blade between his hands and grinning widely.

"So, Taka-kun," he began. "You still think that broadsword is a good fit for you?"

The 12-year-old Takashi groaned heavily as he once again dropped the handle of the gigantic broadsword into the grass. Sweat poured over his face as he turned towards the older Hideaki.

"Better watch out, Hide. I'll be able to use this one day, and your puny little blade won't stand a chance."

Yuki laughed out loud, tucking a green-tinted short sword in her white obi and taking hold of the broadsword's handle. "It won't mean very much if my big brother is still faster than you, Taka-kun. Why don't you let me help you with this? It's only a little further to the forest anyway."

Takashi deftly removed the handle of the gigantic red sword from Yuki's hands and continued dragging it forward inch by inch. "Thanks, Yuki." he grunted. "But you know Hide will never let me hear the end of it."

Hideaki turned toward the forest, his large cat-like ears twitching amidst long white locks of hair. "You've got that right, Taka-kun. Better hurry up, though; Taroto-san will come looking for us if we're not back by sunset."

"No problem!" Takashi responded with a grin. "Now you'll see my super-hyper mode!"

The hapless child pulled even harder on the broadsword amidst dramatic grunts of effort, somehow managing to drag the humongous item more quickly than before. True to form, however, Takashi tripped at the top of the hill and fell flat on his face. Hideaki burst into laughter just before grabbing the handle of the broadsword and easily hefting it over his broad shoulders.

"Okay, big guy, I'm impressed." the raiju stated in attempt to curb Takashi's embarrassment. "Still, you should let a demon handle things from here on in."

"Not fair." Takashi mumbled into the grass. "I wish I had demon powers."

Hideaki found it hard not to smile at the human child's antics. "Wishing for demonic powers, eh? You know, most humans scorn demons like a plague. You sure that you'd want people to look at you that way?"

Takashi rose quickly from the grass and walked alongside Hideaki and Yuki toward the forest ahead. "Hey, that's no big deal. As long as I had an awesome sword and could use it to earn money, I wouldn't need anyone." Noting a concerned look on Yuki's face, he added, "Well, excepting present company, of course."

Yuki stared at the astonishingly large blade slung across her brother's shoulder. "You know, Taka-kun, it'll probably be a while until you can even think about living like that. Besides the fact that you'd have to train night and day just to pick that thing up, Taroto-san doesn't allow weapons in the house."

"What do you think we're hiding them out here for?" Hideaki commented as they reached the forest edge. "Now, let's find a place to stash these things."

Tanuki watched as the children searched through the woods, especially the one called Takashi. He was coming too close for comfort. The raccoon dog's eyes widened. Oh boy, not there.

"Hey!" Takashi shouted. "Check out this burrow in the ground; it looks perfect!"

_Great_, Tanuki thought. _There goes my den._

Hideaki hefted the group's blades into the hole that had been dug out from underneath a set of thick tree roots. The weapons fit perfectly into the space allotted.

"Awesome," Hideaki mused. "So, what do you guys say we cover these up and take a break before heading back?"

"I'm all for it!" the exhausted Takashi exclaimed with such enthusiasm that Yuki couldn't help but chuckle. The three compatriots left the forest after covering the weapons with leaves, still unaware of the furry presence that still observed their every action.

Takashi, Yuki, and Hideaki relaxed on the grassy hillside, gazing up at the myriad clouds above. It had been an eventful day, right from the moment that Hideaki had burst in at lunchtime claiming he'd found something on Mt. Gozaisho. Who could have guessed that such beautifully crafted weapons would have been left simply lying around in the wilderness?

"Hey, Taka-kun?" Hideaki questioned. "Does something strike you as unusual about those swords?"

Takashi sighed. "You mean aside from the fact that they were right there in a barely-covered cave for just anyone to take? Not really."

Hideaki laughed. "Oh, come on. Didn't you notice the shape of the blades? Two were exactly alike, and one was a huge broadsword totally different in appearance. If they were all crafted by the ancient Raiju clans like the inscription said, why wouldn't all three blades be exactly alike?"

Takashi gave a large yawn. "Don't ask me, man. I'm no good with deep conversations anyway." The child smiled widely. "All I know is that my sword's a whole lot bigger, and that it's red. Red is an awesome color."

Yuki turned to Takashi. "What about violet? I thought that was your favorite color."

The 12-year-old in question stuck out his tongue. "Nah, I thought about it, and violet is too girlish for me. Besides, it'd make a terrible color for a sword."

Yuki sighed. "I guess you're right. Still, I always imagined you all grown-up in a violet kimono."

Takashi arched an eyebrow. "That's some imagination."

"That reminds me," Hideaki stated. "What are you going to do with yourself once you actually do grow up, Taka-kun?"

Takashi sat up in the swaying grass. "I never actually thought about it. Maybe I'd find a job in town, or just keep working for Taroto-san. Why do you ask?"

Hideaki frowned pensively. "I'm gonna have to determine the answer to that question a whole lot sooner than you two. I thought about getting a job in town, maybe becoming a merchant or something. In the end, though, is it really enough just to stay in this town and let life pass us by?"

Yuki sat up as well and stared at her brother. "What do you mean by that, nii-san?"

Hideaki closed his eyes as if imagining something. "What if we're meant for a greater destiny? What if we can make a difference in the world outside Komo Town? I think finding these swords was a sign of something; we wouldn't find any use for them in town anyway." The raiju's eyes gazed once again into the clouds above. "I'm thinking about leaving on a journey."

"Where would you go?" Yuki asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice. "What what would you do?"

Hideaki smiled. "I don't know where I'd go, really. As for money, I could become a sword-for-hire or something. When you think about it, the possibilities are endless."

Yuki frowned. "But what about us? We would miss you here."

"Who said you couldn't come with me?" Hideaki offered. "We could all go on the journey together, right Taka-kun?"

Takashi yawned. "You two can go ahead with that. I'm happy with the way things are right now."

"Taka-kun?" Yuki questioned. "You wouldn't miss us?"

"Who said anything about that?" Takashi replied. "I probably would, but I'm not worried about never seeing you guys again. Remember what the inscription said about the power of the swords?"

Hideaki looked curious. "Not really."

Takashi smiled. "You need to learn to read between the lines, man. The three swords are red, green, and blue because they represent the elements of fire, wind, and lightning. The inscriptions said that they were inseparable in nature, so as long as these swords exist, they'll bring us back together!"

Hideaki grinned lopsidedly. "That's kind of a liberal interpretation. You really think these swords have some kind of magic to them?"

Yuki looked cheerful. "Of course they do! It makes sense, right? You said we might be destined for something greater; don't you think that these swords might be a symbol of that?"

Hideaki smiled. It would be better for his sister to have no worries than to doubt the power that held people together in this world. "I'm sure they are, Yuki. Wherever we go in this world, we'll always wind up together again."

_Caitlyn . . ._

What? Tanuki snapped out of a daydream. Watching the human children had reminded her of something. Something important?

Caitlyn?

Of course! That was the name Tanuki had been trying to remember. It was unclear to her, of course, where it had come from or who had once called her that. The raccoon-dog buried herself in the name for a moment. There were memories there, but they were too far gone to have any mental coherence at all. Loose associations could be felt, however. Tanuki did remember something that went with the name. It felt like . . . warmth. The warmth of being held in a strong pair of arms. It was an almost tangible feeling, a feeling that Tanuki missed more than anything in the world.

As she watched the human children finally depart in the direction of the village, Tanuki felt a great wave of sadness pass over her whole body. Those children had each other. They could talk to each other, laugh with each other, and cry with each other. Tanuki, on the other hand had no one.

Someone named Caitlyn had once been loved. Someone named Caitlyn had once been held in warm arms and had been loved enough to have a name of her own. Someone named Caitlyn was somehow important enough to mean a great deal to a raccoon dog from a forest in the middle of nowhere.

Tanuki began to head back to the dense woods in search of food and a new den. Perhaps the raccoon dog had once been this "Caitlyn". For now, however, her name was Tanuki.

And she was alone in the world.

(End Chapter Ten)


	14. Trust Don't Rust

House of Maxwell Productions  
Presents

Samurai Banzai RELOAD  
Volume 3 - Blood Oath (Chapters 11 - 15)

Based on the webcomic Samurai Banzai  
Copyright 2004 Briana Higgins

Written by  
Elite Plushie

Chapter Eleven  
Trust Don't Rust

>>>Midday - May 3, 1583

It was everything Fuji could do to keep from falling face forward into the underbrush. The apprentice ran full tilt down the unforgiving slope, hoping that, by some fortunate twist of fate, he had chosen to run in the same general direction as Noriko. Of course, the rain foretold earlier by ominous dark clouds had descended upon the forest shortly after the apprentice's departure from confrontation with Wild Card. This made tracking the swordswoman's footsteps impossible, not to mention the fact that Fuji could no longer see clearly three feet in front of his face.

Even so, the apprentice fought past the stinging deluge and put his every effort into avoiding trees and animal burrows. If what Jeffy-sensei had said was true, then time was of the essence. Fuji didn't even have time to worry about the progress of Megumi and Yuki, who had been sent along with him to assist the swordswoman. As the forest cover began to thin out, the catgirl and former kunoichi soon caught up with the apprentice.

"Hey!" Yuki called after him. "I couldn't hear what Jeffy said to you! Why are we running after Noriko? Can't she handle herself?"

Fuji attempted to raise his gasping voice above the constant noise of the storm. "You know that guy she's chasing? The one with the necklace?"

"Yeah." Yuki responded. "So what's the deal? He didn't look that threatening."

The apprentice's eyes narrowed. "According to Jeffy-sensei, that guy's name is Matsuda Jiro."

"Wait a minute!" Megumi shouted. "Why does Jeffy-sensei know the person who murdered Noriko's father?"

Fuji could see a stretch of open ground coming up ahead as he gave his reply. "Matsuda Jiro is another one of the Three Yaen-style Masters, just like Jeffy-sensei. Even someone like Noriko doesn't stand a chance against him alone!"

>>>

The damnable rain was making things even more difficult for Jeffy. Left, right, up, down; Wild Card's attacks came from all directions without any chance of respite. The already thick fog that covered the forest floor worked in tandem with the pouring rain to hide the masked assassin from the sword master's view. It took every bit of Jeffy's cognitive ability just to anticipate the direction of new attacks in time to block them.

Wild Card suddenly burst from out of the fog and brought two playing cards forward in a pincer movement. Jeffy drew his damaged wakizashi to defend from both directions along with his katana, but the masked opponent simply changed the direction of his attack and effortlessly separated the blade of the wakizashi from its hilt. The sword master seemed to throw away the now useless handle of the short sword and desperately brought his katana to the fore.

Sensing the sign of weakness, Wild Card moved in for the kill. However, Jeffy had anticipated the speed of the assassin's attack, and the handle of the wakizashi had not quite hit the ground yet. The sword master kicked the falling handle with enough force to send the object careening into his opponent's chin with an audible crack. As Wild Card reeled from the unexpected blow, Jeffy moved in for the kill, katana point forward. The assassin in white brought a card up in defense with lighting speed, but Jeffy altered his attack pattern and cut the paper in two, not forgetting to quickly grab his opponent's arm, thereby preventing the nearly simultaneous release of a backup card. The sword master's katana again dove for Wild Card's midsection. With an insane amount of speed brought on by desperation, the assassin blocked the thrusting blade and redirected its momentum into the churning mess of pinestraw and mud below. As the two combatants grappled against each other, Wild Card's soulless blue eyes glared into Jeffy's with an air of cold calculation.

"It was wise of you to send your comrades away." the assassin mused nonchalantly. "They would have been dead long before now if you hadn't."

Jeffy smiled in turn. "It's not my job to make things easy for you. Still, I am curious as to your motive for this attack."

Wild Card cackled dryly. "Motive? You talk as if I'm some common murderer!"

The masked combatant twisted his entire body with inhuman speed, forcibly wrenching himself out of the stalemate. Jeffy reacted immediately, making a quick horizontal cut that would have brought any following offensive move from his opponent to an abrupt end. However, it seemed that Wild Card had something different in mind. The assassin vaulted high into the air and landed well out of Jeffy's effective combat range. Strangely enough, he also began to straighten his kimono and stow away the playing cards.

"My 'motive', as you call it, is very simple." Wild Card stated in an businesslike manner. "I was sent here to not only separate you from your comrades but also to deliver a message."

"What kind of message?" Jeffy replied, his eyes narrowing in thought. Separate him from his comrades? Fuji, Noriko, and the others were surely in for an ambush.

Wild Card cackled slightly. "The message comes from your master, Raijin."

The sword master stepped backward in shock. "Raijin? What is he doing here? And Jiro as well?"

The masked assassin shrugged. "It is indeed a strange twist of fate that all three of the legendary Yaen Masters would arrive at the same mountain so close to the day of destiny. Still, Raijin-_sama_'s decree is this: come alone to the shrine at the top of Mt. Gozaisho and your traveling companions will be spared for the time being."

"This doesn't make sense." Jeffy responded, surprise bringing down the volume of his voice. "Why jeopardize the lives of others? What could be so important that he wouldn't trust me to come of my own accord?"

Wild Card turned to leave in the direction of Mt. Gozaisho. "Let's just say for now that there are bigger things going on here than a cursed sword or a little girl's revenge. As for the rest, you can hear it from Raijin-_sama_ himself." The clear blue eyes narrowed underneath the assassin's mask. "Don't take too long to reach the summit. I'll be watching your every move."

As soon as Wild Card had melted away into the rain and fog, Jeffy sheathed his katana and began moving back towards Mt. Gozaisho. The best way to help the others now was to go along with his former sensei's demands. Even so, Jeffy couldn't help but wonder about the current situation. Just what was going on in this area? Raijin at the head of a bandit gang, or possibly a small army? That didn't sound like the man who had mastered every aspect of Yaen-style swordsmanship long before either Jeffy or his fellow student Jiro had even been born.

The sword master quickened his pace through the torrential rain, his every footstep scattering water, mud, and foliage. Something was very wrong on this mountain, and, as usual, it had fallen to Anakouji Jeffery to find out just what was going on. He was truthfully worried about Noriko and the others, but they could have only lived under the shelter of his skill for a short time anyway. Now was the time for their own skills to be put to the test, but Jeffy still feared greatly for Megumi and Fuji. Neither of them had gotten enough training to fight with students of Raijin on any level. The sword master could only hope that what the two had been given would be enough to see them through.

>>>

The pounding force of the rain mattered little to Itagaki Noriko. Her father's murderer had been found, and revenge was now at hand. The only question now was where the bastard had gotten off to.

The swordswoman stood before what she assumed to be the ruins of Old Komo Town. The charred wooden remains of buildings that had once inhabited this small valley stood as a grim reminder of some great conflagration that had taken place many years ago. Dense forest surrounded the ruins, and new saplings at the edge heralded nature's coming reclamation of the abandoned ground.

Noriko currently stood on a well-worn patch of dirt that had once been a road leading to the center of the town. It continued to the west for quite some distance, finally stopping in the middle of the ruins. It looked as if it had once been a courtyard, but something seemed out of place. There was a figure suspended in midair, barely discernable at this distance. The rainstorm abated slightly for just a moment, which was long enough to make the stark violet kimono on the figure apparent to the naked eye.

"Takashi!" Noriko exclaimed in confusion.

The man in the black kimono seemed to materialize out of the buildings. He drew his katana in a lightning-fast movement and dashed at the surprised swordswoman.

"You've got more important things to worry about!" Matsuda Jiro shouted.

Noriko barely had time to draw her own katana and counter the sudden rush attack, but the swordswoman's blade only touched her opponent's weapon for a split second. The force of the man in black's strike seemed to simply dissipate as suddenly as it had appeared. Dazed for a split second as she tipped forward, Noriko rebalanced and strove with every fiber of her being to match the speed of her opponent's attack. Unfortunately, by the time Noriko had even thought of this notion, Matsuda Jiro was already behind her.

The man in black rammed an elbow into the swordswoman's back, causing her to lose an already tentative balance and plunge face-first into the dirt. Noriko felt two new sensations almost simultaneously. The first was the painful feeling of a hard, blunt, and gritty object that rammed down hard on the back of her neck, presumably her opponent's sandal pinning her to the ground. The second was a cold, almost fluid sensation that penetrated her right shoulder that immediately transformed into an intense, searing hot pain that lanced throughout her right arm and upper body. Noriko attempted to scream in torment, but only found herself choking on the grimy muck that had received the impact of her face. So this was what it felt like to be pierced by a katana blade . . .

"How could you even think about fighting me like this?" Jiro leered as he pressed down harder on his victim's neck. "Just what kind of amateurs does Jeffy travel with these days?"

The Yaen Master retracted his katana blade, allowing Noriko to lash out in retaliation with her injured sword arm. However, the swordsman had completely disappeared from view. Noriko panted into the cold rain that soaked her kimono and stung the open wound in her shoulder. Had the murderer run away? No, he had to be lurking about somewhere nearby, but why would he retreat when he had the upper hand?

"Noriko!" a voice shouted from the eastern forest.

The swordswoman in question turned in the direction of the voice to see Fuji leading Yuki and Megumi toward her.

"Hey!" Fuji continued to shout. "Are you alright! Where's the guy in black!"

Noriko gasped as she was struck by a sudden realization.

"Stay back!" she shouted at the rapidly approaching trio. "He's still here! It's a trap!"

As soon as the words had left her mouth, Noriko suddenly felt an intense rush of cold air. Fuji and the others stopped just short of her position, but the murderer did not appear. Something about that sudden rush of wind hadn't felt right, however. There was something about it's texture . . . something solid? Multiple wounds suddenly opened up all over Noriko's body, some of the more severe ones emitting a slight spray of blood. The swordswoman nearly passed out in pain, falling into the dirt amidst the surprised screams of Yuki and Megumi.

Noriko's thoughts clouded over in delirious pain. That cunning bastard . . . he had sliced the air with such force that the resulting disruptions had actually traveled over a short distance and cut right through her.

"Nori-chan!" Megumi exclaimed as both she and Fuji rushed to the aid of their injured companion. "Are you okay! Say something!"

The swordswoman's opponent emerged from behind a burned-out wall, shaking his head in mock exasperation. "Her technique isn't all that bad, I suppose. Speed was the critical element here; this 'Nori-chan' of yours is far too slow to fight against someone of my caliber."

"How could you!" Fuji exclaimed as he cradled Noriko's prone, barely conscious form. "You're a Yaen Master just like Jeffy-sensei! How could you fight with such brutality!"

"Brutality?" Jiro scoffed. "What do you think a battle is, anyway? One cannot claim to be a student of Anakouji Jeffery and ask such inane questions."

Yuki suddenly noticed the figure in the ruined courtyard. "Taka-kun! What's he doing over there?"

The man in black simply shrugged. "There's another fool who couldn't handle himself in battle. You three would do well to learn from your friends' performances."

Yuki simply ignored the swordsman and ran straight toward the courtyard. What had happened to Takashi? He seemed to be hanging in midair with no visible suspension. The catgirl only managed to traverse a few yards before a massive figure descended from above and blocked her path.

This new combatant appeared even taller than Nobumitsu, with nearly twice the muscle rippling across his uncovered torso. A pair of long, dark blue hakama pants were held to his waist by a black obi, contrasting with the simple white _tabi_ socks that adorned his feet along with accompanying sandals. The only other article of clothing on the man's massive frame was a thick cloth wrapping around his right forearm. Far more interesting than the man's clothes, however, was his stark white hair that frayed out in all directions, nearly eclipsing a pair of large, cat-like ears from view. In fact, he seemed to be of the exact same demon species as Yuki. The catgirl herself quivered visibly at the approach of this gigantic raiju, only one curious word whispering its way past her lips.

"Hideaki . . ."

The demon's young, yet stone-like face was fixed in an expression of cold menace. Deep red eyes stared off into the distance even as he spoke to the demon girl before him in a deep, guttural voice.

"Attempt to move any further, and the ronin dies. Is that understood?"

Not even waiting for a reply, Hideaki moved towards Jiro and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Anakouji Jeffery is heading toward Mt. Gozaisho as instructed. We shall spare this riffraff in accordance with the deal."

Jiro sheathed his polished katana with a sigh. "Oh well. They weren't much fun anyway. I'll be heading back to the shrine myself." The swordsman began to move towards the east, but paused when he noticed that his companion had not moved an inch.

"Aren't you coming?" he queried.

Hideaki's expression didn't change for an instant. "We've been instructed to spare their lives, but I don't remember anything being said about the degree to which they must remain alive."

Jiro shrugged and resumed his walk toward the forest. "Whatever floats your boat, big guy. Just make sure that at least one of them can still move."

The raiju cracked his knuckles in anticipation and turned to the group. "So, who's first?"

"Hideaki!" Yuki cried out. "What are you doing? Why are you working with assassins and murderers! What did you do to Taka-kun?"

Hideaki glared at the catgirl with cold intensity. "So many questions from someone who should already know the answers. The reasons for which I serve alongside the combative elite are none of your concern. As for the ronin . . ."

The raiju snapped his fingers as the rain finally began to die down. An extensive network of chains suddenly appeared in the ruined courtyard, revealing a wounded and beaten Takashi held aloft in their iron embrace.

"It's such a shame," the male raiju sighed. "A shame that my orders prevent me from ending his misbegotten life right here and now."

Fuji found it hard to fight down his confusion regarding the current situation. There was obviously some connection between Takashi, Yuki, and this "Hideaki", but just what was it? If they had once been friends, then why did they fight against each other in this manner?

"So," Hideaki mused. "No volunteers for a beating? Then how about . . ."

Yuki's expression transformed from shock to anger. "Hideaki, I can stop you."

The male raiju cocked an eyebrow toward his would-be opponent. "Is that so? Go ahead and try."

Yuki extended her right arm upwards in order to receive her personal weapon. "Kamikaze-ken!"

A few moments passed, but the sword did not appear as it always had before.

Hideaki began to cackle hysterically before delivering a message to Yuki. "Oh, so sorry; I forgot to mention something. Wild Card sends his deepest thanks for the new sword, and also his caution that the weapon will no longer respond to your summons." The raiju's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Perhaps the blade didn't appreciate being wielded by someone who doesn't know how to use it."

Hideaki's ears twitched in response to the sound of the quickly recovering Noriko taking hold of her katana. A wide grin of anticipation crossed the raiju's face. "Let me show you how a true demon fights. _Ikazuchi_!"

The chains that held Takashi aloft above the ruined courtyard began to unravel of their own accord. A sharp grinding noise filled the air and sparks flew everywhere as the metallic links unceremoniously dropped the captive ronin's body to the ground and snaked towards Hideaki. The weapon wrapped itself around the cloth on the raiju's right arm, placing it's tail end in his hand.

Hideaki poised the weapon in preparation for use. "You like what I've done to my sword, Yuki? Let's see if your friends like it too!"

The catgirl stared in horror as her brother dove straight for Noriko, throwing the massive chain ahead of his advance. The target swordswoman quickly rose to her feet and set up a block with her stylized katana, but it was of no use, especially in her wounded state. The tip of the chain struck Noriko's sword with an eardrum-busting clang, sending the blade flying into the distance and dislocating the girl's arm with a loud crack. Despite the fact that the chain's course had been diverted, Hideaki still hurtled toward her with a feral cry.

No one was more surprised than Fuji himself as the apprentice rose to Noriko's defense, barring the path of the stampeding male raiju. The visions from the previous night of the gigantic broadsword and the massive chain returned fresh to the boy's mind even as he drew the Fan of Uzume from his white obi. Hideaki was nearly upon him when Fuji opened the fan directly into the raiju's face.

The intense light contained within the fan had an actual impact at that range, blowing Hideaki off his feet and backwards into the dirt. The raiju clutched at his eyes and cried out like a wounded beast, giving Fuji all the initiative he needed. The apprentice snatched a kunai from Megumi's belt and dove at his opponent. Unfortunately, however injured the raiju's eyes had become, his ears still worked just fine.

Hideaki lashed out with both feet, catching the advancing Fuji in his midsection and propelling the luckless apprentice several feet through the air. The raiju quickly regained his footing, cursed wildly and dashed into the forest cover with insane alacrity. Fuji, by contrast, landed sharply on his behind and flopped back into the dirt with the wind knocked out of him. Due to the lack of oxygen, the apprentice quickly passed out of consciousness.

>>>

"Protector?"

A middle-aged woman turned toward the aging raiju. "Is there something the matter, Raijin-_sama_?"

The one called Raijin shook his masked face, causing his massive amount of white hair to rustle. "Nothing to worry about in excess, but something I did not expect nonetheless."

The blue fire that burned in the center of the wooden table cast eerie shadows across the shrine walls. The demon known as Raijin looked even more foreboding than usual, clad in gigantic heaps of cloth and an extremely offsetting mask with twin red eyes that were so distorted in size as to take up most of the object's "face".

"My vision was different this time." Raijin continued. "I saw Jeffy's companions, and two sets of _kanji _had been laid over them at the same time."

The woman's voice sounded interested despite the fact that her facial expression had not changed. "What were they?"

"At first," Raijin replied. "I believed it to say 'protector'. One of the individuals Jeffy travels with has a strong, innate will to protect those around him, one that he himself does not fully recognize. My vision named him as the Protector."

After a few moments of silence, the woman posed an obvious question. "So what was the other set of _kanji_?"

Raijin's voice lowered as it echoed in the dark. "My vision also referred to him as . . . the Destroyer."

Shock became apparent in the shadowed woman's voice. "Destroyer? You don't mean to say . . ."

"Indeed." Raijin interrupted. "The one who will bring destruction to all of Japan is among Jeffy's companions."

(End Chapter Eleven)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

sama - suffix denoting extreme respect, similar to the title "Lord" in English.

tabi - traditional two-toed white sock often worn with sandals in Japan.

Ikazuchi - translates as "divine thunder".

kanji - a Japanese system of writing based on borrowed or modified Chinese characters.


	15. Open Case

Chapter Twelve  
Open Case

>>>Night - May 4, 1583

The meeting chamber of Iga Castle was a very simple room, reflecting the elegant efficiency of the Iga Ninja Clan. Polished wooden floors bereft of furniture stretched towards paper screens eclipsed in darkness by the descent of evening upon the world. Only two stone statues, representations of legendary clan masters, adorned the north side of the room. That being said, three people also occupied the room.

Ninja Master Hikari was the very image of an Iga Ninja. Clothed in a dark blue _shinobi shozoku_ with the face mask currently removed, the master of the Iga Clan appeared much younger than she actually was. Her stern, angular face and perfectly straightened black hair crafted the impression of a strict businesswoman, but comparatively soft brown eyes gave away the compassion that lay underneath her cold exterior.

Before Hikari sat one of her most trusted kunoichi, Haohmaru Kagome. The younger assassin was dressed in a similar manner to her master, with the exception of the _shinobi shozoku_ being a dark shade of crimson. Kagome always kept her hair short for functionality, the dark brown locks coming to an elegant halt just above her shoulders. A gleaming Iga medallion shone the moonlight, stationed as it was on the red headband that Kagome had never been seen without.

The last occupant of the room always seemed steeped in shadow. Hikari had never gotten a very good look at the woman's face, but she wore a simple black kimono and white obi that seemed to envelop her entire body. The woman was a client of the Iga, but she had an odd habit of never meeting by daylight. Only two other things stood out about this customer: a very long mane of black hair, and the ridiculously long tachi blade that she always carried. Even after several meetings, Hikari had never gotten the woman's name. It wasn't unusual for clients of any ninja clan to keep their identities a secret, but the ninja master never felt comfortable around this girl. It was almost as if this client gave off an aura of suspicion and dread.

"So," Hikari stated. "What news comes from the honorable Kumo regarding the events at Mt. Gozaisho?"

Kagome bowed low while responding. "The insurgent faction gathering at Mt. Gozaisho has begun to make their move. The area surrounding New Komo Town is likely to become a hotbed of activity within the next few days, possibly endangering our province and most definitely disrupting our assignment in the area."

"Assignment in the area?" Hikari asked. "I was not aware that we had an operative in the vicinity of Mt. Gozaisho aside from Kumo."

"Indeed, we did not have another ninja at that location until just recently." Kagome replied. "Shisho Kumo is temporarily cooperating with Tanizaki Megumi in her assignment to assassinate the ronin, Ueda Takashi. It should also be noted that they have already met with difficulty regarding that mission due to the activities of the High Yaen Master Raijin and his followers."

>>>Midday - May 6, 1583

Yamamoto Fuji found it very difficult to avoid thoughts of sleep as he continued his work. It had taken all night to create enough paper charms to encircle the area, and posting them on the dense pine trees was taking even longer than the apprentice had initially imagined. He began to shift through the kanji-laden papers, counting how many remained. Twenty-three more to go. Just beautiful.

It was only by a stroke of pure luck that the group had even found a place to mend their wounds from the last battle. With Takashi nearly beaten to a bloody pulp, Noriko severely injured, and Yuki blinded during the final moments of the confrontation with the mysterious Hideaki, none of the travelers were in any condition to move, much less fight. Noriko, the de facto leader of the group up till now, had gone curiously silent following her battle against Jiro Matsuda, so it had fallen to Fuji to get the party moving. On their way back to New Komo Town, the group happened upon Tomoe, little sister to Nobumitsu, the chief of the nearly non-existent town militia. In thanks for the group's earlier heroics in her hometown, Tomoe offered to lead them to a somewhat closer haven: the Yunoyama Onsen at the base of Mt. Gozaisho.

The area surrounding the _onsen_ had proven beneficial to defensive purposes, positioned as it was in a depression on the east side of the mountain. The heavily forested land could be imagined as roughly circular in shape, thus allowing a perimeter to be established with relative ease.

Fuji placed the next charm upon the side of a large, distinguishable pine tree and began hammering a nail through the top of the paper. It took several tries due to the solidity of the ancient tree, and the apprentice quickly frustrated himself, settling down with a massive sigh of exhaustion amidst the roots of the gigantic plant.

_Come on_, Fuji thought to himself. _You've got to get this finished. There's no telling when the enemy will attack again. You have to protect everyone._

Protect everyone? Since when had that become his responsibility? Fuji's thoughts drifted back toward the beginning of his journey two weeks ago. He had set out from the Shrine at Ise to save the world from an approaching disaster, but the apprentice was no closer now to understanding his earlier visions than he had been when the journey began. Fuji had chosen to go along with a group of warriors for protection on his journey, but now he was getting caught up in **their** problems and taking responsibility for **their** well-being. Just what was he doing here anyway? It wasn't that the apprentice didn't care about his companions, but he still had a mission to complete that he couldn't even understand yet, much less work towards.

Fuji kicked one of the tree's roots in further frustration. He had expected to have a direction in life once this journey began. He had expected some sign regarding where he should go and what he should do. In the end, however, it looked as if Fuji would be as directionless now as he had been during every previous year of his life. Fuji hated that feeling, like he was lost in a labyrinth with no way out. What he hated even more than that, however, was the feeling of being watched.

The apprentice readied the Fan of Uzume and leaned toward the left side of the tree, ready to deal with whatever had caused the rustle of footsteps among massive clumps of pinestraw.

>>>Night - May 4, 1583

Ninja Master Hikari sighed. "Maybe it's best if we take this from the top. Give me a summary of our findings on the people involved in the current situation."

"As you wish," Kagome responded. "The target of our honorable client's request is a man by the name of Ueda Takashi. Approximately 20 years of age, he originates from Old Komo Town, trained under the Yaen Master Anakouji Jeffery for two years, and served under Nobunaga Oda until the time of the ruler's death in 1582. There are some reports that list him as one of the only Nobunaga loyalists to survive of the accidental conflagration at the Honnoji no Hen."

"Interesting." Hikari interjected. "Continue."

"Ueda Takashi traveled northward for some time, reaching the southern tip of Mutsu Province before changing course and heading almost directly south. Although there are no direct eyewitness accounts, we attribute this change of direction to an oath of service by Takashi given to one Itagaki Noriko.

"Itagaki Noriko is known as a rogue swordswoman in the northern regions of Mutsu Province. She has no remaining family, and pursues the identity and location of her father's murderer across Japan. At the onset of our assassination attempts against the ronin Takashi, this Noriko proved a most difficult obstacle to remove from the combat zone. Despite the fact that Tanizaki Izumi, the first Iga Ninja sent after the ronin, managed to separate the two, she still fell in combat to Ueda Takashi."

Hikari tightened her fists as the memories of that incident flooded back into her mind. When Izumi's body and Iga medallion had been retrieved and her death thus confirmed, there had only been one who grieved more than Hikari herself. Even now, the Ninja Master still felt the growing concern for Izumi's sister, Megumi, who everyone feared had begun to lose her sanity on that day.

Kagome paused before continuing with her summary. "It was the loss of one of our most skilled kunoichi that motivated our clan to seek out a new strategy against the target ronin and his accomplice. As you might well recall, Tanizaki Megumi, sister to the deceased, volunteered for the mission with more than a little vengeance evident in her motivation. Do you remember why it was that we allowed her to go regardless of her emotional instability?"

Hikari sighed. "One could hardly forget it. A novice to our clan made the first successful use of the Dominus _Ninjitsu_; a technique that even the elite of the Iga had given up attempting to execute properly. It was unprecedented, and most certainly a useful skill for the situation."

Kagome nodded. "It was this factor that allowed Megumi to become a part of the ronin's party and work her infiltration from within. After the group's departure from Tado Town at the northernmost tip of Ise Province, they met with the Yaen Master Anakouji Jeffery, who had trained Takashi in the way of the sword several years prior. His reason for travel involves some kind of cursed blade, but this was not our concern at the time. Cursed blade or not, Anakouji Jeffery was a solid wall of combative skill that would invariably thwart any attempt on the ronin's life. It was during our contemplation of that obstacle that the fifth member of Ueda Takashi's current entourage arrived.

"Yamamoto Fuji, surrogate son to Head Priest Yamamoto Genji of the Grand Shrine at Ise, offered his assistance to Anakouji Jeffery exactly 15 days ago. He was not considered a threat to our objective at first, but it has since been discovered that the Shinto apprentice wields the legendary Fan of Uzume, which was thought to be sealed inside the Grand Shrine from whence he came. This weapon has proven a serious setback in the last two weeks of the operation due to its ability to blind foes for a period of approximately three days. Anakouji Jeffery, Shisho Kumo, and at least one of Raijin's followers have all fallen victim to the fan since its appearance.

"The final member of Ueda Takashi's group is Yuki, a young female raiju. Although only half-demon in blood, she possesses superhuman powers that, when combined with an almost rabid dedication to protecting the target ronin, adds yet another chaotic element to an already difficult situation.

"With matters getting more complicated as Ueda Takashi continued to travel south, Tanizaki Megumi asked for assistance from Shisho Kumo in order to eliminate the ronin before he reached Mt. Gozaisho. If Takashi were to have died at the hands of Raijin's followers, our contract would have been void, and Izumi's death would have been in vain.

"However, the attempt on Takashi's life failed due to some mistake on Megumi's end, and the ronin was allowed to enter the Mt. Gozaisho area. There was a brief but deadly confrontation between Takashi's entourage and Raijin's followers that almost eliminated the ronin and his companions, but a last-minute action by Yamamoto Fuji altered the course of the battle and preserved the lives of his friends."

"Curious, isn't it?" Hikari commented. "Three men managed to defeat the Takashi's entire group of warriors and we could not even take care of the ronin himself. Just what kind of fighters has High Yaen Master Raijin come across?"

Kagome shook her head. "We've only come across a scant amount of information regarding those who follow the raiju Yaen Master since the group last appeared in southern Ise Province several months ago and executed an entire team of our best ninja."

"Well," Hikari replied. "I'd like to hear what we've found out so far."

The Ninja Master noted something odd about the female client to Kagome's right. She was grinning widely as Kagome recounted these events. What was so funny, or even joyous about it? The more she saw of this eerie client, the more she found to hate about her. Hikari seriously looked forward to the day when the Iga Clan would regain its former glory, and with it the ability to refuse such customers.

"As you command, Hikari-sama," Kagome continued. "We've been attempting to keep tabs on High Yaen Master Raijin's activities since his return to Japan 19 years ago, but he has become quite adept at eluding us. That, in addition to the chaos caused by Oda Nobunaga's attempt to exterminate our clan, has created large gaps in our record of his activities. Even after all this time, we know very little about Raijin himself except for the fact that he is a pureblood raiju demon of untold age, widely regarded as being the first to perfect the difficult Yaen style.

"The follower we have the most relevant information about is Wild Card, a man who claims to be a famous foreign assassin. According to sources, there was indeed a series of unsolved murders across northern Europe that had been attributed to a card-wielding assassin. However, these murders occurred over 30 years ago. Considering the comparatively young appearance of the Wild Card that travels with Raijin, it is unlikely that he is the same man responsible for the murders attributed to the famous assassin. His skill, however, is frightfully unquestionable, perhaps even on par with the Yaen Masters themselves.

"Matsuda Jiro is the third Yaen Master, having trained alongside Anakouji Jeffery under Raijin many years ago. He disappeared about the same time as his master, but was not with Raijin upon the demon's return to Japan. We are currently unable to account for his activities in those 19 years, but it is known that he is the newest of Raijin's current entourage. His combat skills are said to be equal to those of Anakouji Jeffery, but according to our latest observations, we believe him to have become slightly better than his peer in the 19 years since his disappearance.

"The follower we have the least information on is the enigmatic Hideaki. He is a pureblood raiju demon, similar to Raijin, but he also seems to have some familial connection with the half-demon Yuki in Takashi's group. It is suspected that he trained under Raijin for most of his youth, crafting him into a total warrior. Ill-tempered and very dangerous by our observations, he wields a gigantic chain in battle which he refers to by the name 'Ikazuchi'. A few accounts from our spies indicate that the chain has power over lightning, but it is as yet unconfirmed by any ninja of substantial rank."

Hikari put a hand to her forehead. "This really is a complicated situation, and there can be no small price for this task if our client wishes a continued pursuit of the target ronin. Is a 10 increase in our fee acceptable to the honorable customer?"

The shadowy woman next to Kagome nodded slowly. "Money is not a problem, but I expect quite a bit more than what I've heard today from the infamous Iga Clan."

"Understood." Hikari responded. "Now, Kagome, how do you recommend we proceed?"

Kagome's eyes almost glowed with fierce determination. "The ronin and his allies currently rest in an injured state at the abandoned Yunoyama Onsen on the eastern slope of Mt. Gozaisho. Anakouji Jeffery has left them, and all of their able-bodied fighters have been crippled as a result of the confrontation with Raijin's forces. A decisive strike to take advantage of their weakness would minimize casualties and accomplish the given task with flawless efficiency."

Hikari nodded. "That is indeed the way of our clan, Kagome. Please deliver the message to-"

"Your plan is flawed." the woman in the shadows suddenly interceded.

"How dare you!" Kagome shouted. "No one may interrupt the Ninja Master when she is speaking! Hikari-sama, give me permission to teach this woman the meaning of respect!"

"Excuse me for that," the woman in black replied. "However, I cannot help but notice an obvious flaw in your plan."

Hikari did her best to keep calm. Naturally, she felt the same as Kagome about this odd client, but they did need the business, especially from someone with such deep pockets as this woman.

"We shall let it pass," Hikari managed to say. "As long as the honorable customer is kind enough to explain this 'flaw' to us."

The woman in the shadows nodded. "Thank you, Ninja Master. However, I must point out that when I called this flaw in your plan of action 'obvious', I meant that it was obvious only to me. Allow me to illustrate this: if you kill Ueda Takashi now, I shall not consider his death satisfactory to our agreement."

Hikari frowned. "I do indeed recall agreeing to execute the ronin in a manner specified by yourself, but why do you wait until this time to speak of it?"

The woman in black smiled widely again. "Because I have just now thought of it. Is it not true that you value the lives of your ninja?"

The Ninja Master narrowed her eyes. "This is true. What of it?"

"I ask because my plan guarantees the very lives you value so much." the woman in black continued. "I suggest that you simply allow the two opposing forces on Mt. Gozaisho to eliminate each other."

"Interesting," Hikari responded. "Explain further."

The woman in black took pleasure in the anger on Kagome's face before proceeding. "Itagaki Noriko wishes to avenge her father on Matsuda Jiro. Hideaki wishes to kill Ueda Takashi. There are strong emotions both pushing both forces against each other and tying them together as well. By allowing the situation on Mt. Gozaisho to resolve itself under your ninjas' supervision, I will regard our current contract as complete."

"What about Noriko?" Kagome inquired. "Your original wish was for Itagaki Noriko to live. Has that changed as well?"

"No." the woman in shadow replied. "You see, Noriko is the most skilled out of all the warriors accompanying Ueda Takashi with the exception of the now departed Anakouji Jeffery. By this logic, she will fall in battle last. As long as Itagaki Noriko is the last to die, I am satisfied."

Kagome turned to Hikari. "Ninja Master, you can't possibly be considering this."

Hikari paused for a moment before giving her verdict. "Kagome, you shall instruct Megumi and Kumo to follow our client's advice and allow the conflict between Raijin's followers and Takashi's entourage to unfold. Guide the progress of the confrontations if necessary, but take no active part, is that understood?"

Kagome clenched her fist in anger. "Hai."

>>>Midday - May 6, 1583

The noise was really getting to Fuji now. He flattened his body against the base of a pine tree and leaned in its general direction. It sounded exactly like footsteps, slowly approaching from his backside. Whoever it was had almost rounded the tree! Fuji instinctively lashed out with the Fan of Uzume, causing a beam of intense light to shoot out across the forest.

"Hey, Fuji."

The apprentice unclenched his eyes to see Yuki standing right in front of his fan.

"Aah!" Fuji jumped in surprise. "Gomen nasai! I thought it was one of our enemies! Gomen!"

The female raiju giggled playfully. "Oh come on, stop apologizing. I don't think the thing works twice in a row."

"Oh, right." Fuji realized, remembering that Yuki had failed to shut her eyes when he used the fan against Hideaki. "So what are you doing out here? Isn't it difficult to find your way around without your eyes?"

"Not really." Yuki responded, sitting down next to the apprentice and pulling at her ears. "What do you thing these big things are good for anyway?"

Fuji laughed. "I guess that's true. Has Takashi woken up yet?"

The catgirl sighed. "No, and Noriko still isn't talking to anyone. I think that battle with Jiro really freaked her out."

"I guess it would." the apprentice speculated. "She finally found her father's murderer, but she can't avenge his death. That would probably depress me too. What about Megumi?"

Yuki giggled again. "She's got her hands full helping out Gateau-san with the laundry. Or is it Gateau-san who has her hands full teaching Megumi not to swallow the soap?"

Fuji couldn't help but laugh at the thought of that. The onsen's lone tenant, a middle-aged woman by the name of Gateau Ari, seemed nice enough on the surface. For some reason though, the apprentice felt his skin crawl every time he came near her.

"So how about you?" Yuki asked. "What're you up to?"

Fuji laid out the paper charms in front of him. "I'm setting up a perimeter."

Yuki looked confused. "With paper? What good will that do?"

Fuji grinned. "Well, if you're thinking about keeping people out of the area, it won't do any good. However, I've tuned these charms to my chi frequency. If anything crosses the lines made by these charms with malevolent intent, then I'll know about it. At least, that's how I'm hoping it'll work."

Yuki raised an eyebrow in partial disbelief. "Like an early warning system? Have you ever seen that work before?"

"Not really." Fuji admitted. "There's not many people who come to the Grand Shrine of Ise bearing harm. At least, not many people who fear for their safety."

"Well," Yuki said as she rose to depart. "I guess we'll be the unwilling test subjects for your theory."

"It's funny though." Fuji commented. "If these things fail, then we all die without even knowing what hit us."

Yuki turned back toward the apprentice. "Why would you say something like that?"

Fuji looked downcast. He really hadn't meant to start this kind of conversation with Yuki, but now that he had . . .

"I just keep feeling like I'm not making a difference here." Fuji continued. "Even after how hard I tried for everyone, Jeffy just ran off without saying a word and Noriko won't even talk to me now. I know that I haven't been with them long, but I thought they could at least talk to me about important things."

"Hey," Yuki began to reply. "First of all, Noriko isn't talking to anybody, so that problem isn't yours exclusively. Second, wherever Jeffy is right now, I know that he's just trying to look out for us; it's what he does best."

Fuji gave a dry laugh. "You sound so sure."

The catgirl gave the apprentice's shoulder a playful punch. "Of course I'm sure! You need to have more faith in people. And if you still think you don't make a difference, think about what would have happened in that last battle if you hadn't been there."

Fuji did indeed stop and think about that for a second. It was true, if he hadn't been present in the last battle, there was a high likelihood that all his companions would be dead now. Was this his mission? To save the lives of these warriors when they needed him? Whatever the case, it did make him feel important to hear that. It made Fuji feel like he had . . . a direction.

"Okay!" Fuji stated, rising to his feet. "Screw whatever my original mission was! I'm helping you guys out to the end, and that's that!"

"That's great!" Yuki exclaimed. "So what's your original mission?"

The apprentice froze. "My what?"

The catgirl gave Fuji a quizzical look. "You just mentioned an 'original mission'. What is it?"

The apprentice simply walked off toward the next big pine tree. "I didn't say anything like that. Must've been your imagination."

Yuki fumed and chased after Fuji. "Imagination my butt! What the heck were you talking about anyway? Are you listening to me!"

Fuji laughed heartily. What a group he had happened upon. A ronin who runs from his past, a swordswoman who allowed vengeance to eclipse her soul, a former kunoichi who possessed no combat skill, and an ageless catgirl who was supposed to have died eight years ago. Somehow, Fuji would unravel the riddles these people had twisted their lives into. Somehow, Fuji would find out what his mission from Amaterasu actually was. But for now, Fuji would do exactly what he wanted to; he would be there for the people that, like it or not, mattered greatly to him.

(End Chapter Twelve)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

onsen - the word for a natural Japanese hot spring. Is most often used to refer to any structure(s) that surround the hot spring as well.

shinobi shozoku - basically translates as "ninja uniform". Consists of a jacket, obi, trousers (?), tabi boots, sleeve protectors, and a face mask. Made to cover the ninja's entire body but also allow freedom of movement.

ninjitsu - an ancient body of spiritual and martial arts teachings designed for spies and assassins. In real life, this refers to special techiniques, but the word ninjitsu can also be used to describe a dark type of magic. In this case, the latter applies.


	16. Last One Out, Hit the Lights

Chapter Thirteen  
Last One Out, Hit the Lights

>>>Midday - May 6, 1583

Nobumitsu was furious, more with himself than anything else. The giant man passed through the southern town entrance without so much as a nod to the guards and marched steadily in the direction of the Yunoyama Onsen. Nobu quickened his pace as numerous admonitions raced through his head.

How could he have been so ignorant? It had now been two days since the strangers from the north left Komo Town in search of a murderer. Why had it taken Nobumitsu so long to come to the obvious conclusion. Ueda Takashi . . . The name had sounded familiar at the time he heard it, but the resemblance had been easy to dismiss. That is, until Taroto-san had remembered what the town guardian himself could not.

Nobumitsu huffed raggedly as the forest floor crunched underneath his weight. There was no way he was leaving his sister anywhere near that thrice-damned Ueda Takashi!

>>>Afternoon - May 6, 1583

Yunoyama Onsen was basically a volcanic hot spring with a veritable mansion built around it. From what Yamamoto Fuji had learned, the onsen had been a famous tourist spot before the bandit raid that had razed Old Komo Town to the ground eight years ago. The mansion itself spent many years in fearful abandonment before its current tenant, a curious woman by the name of Gateau Ari, took up residence.

Fuji found it hard to concentrate on such things, however, exhausted as he was from posting all of those _o-fude_ charms around the area. He and Yuki could hear loud voices coming from the outdoors washtub as they ascended the stone steps that lead to the onsen's mansion. Apparently, Gateau Ari was still attempting to get the laundry done.

"Okay, Megumi, let's see if we can get it right this time."

"I'm really sorry, Ari-san. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Just remember to hold the soap like-"

There was a loud thunk.

"Aaah! Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai, Ari-san!"

Fuji was not surprised to find that very few of the group's normal garments had been washed, most likely due to Megumi's blunders. Yuki made her best attempt to stifle a fit of giggles caused by the former kunoichi's antics.

Ari placed a hand to her bruised forehead while retrieving a renegade bar of soap that had just recently served as an impromptu weapon. "Don't worry, Megumi. I don't think I'm dead yet, but maybe it would be best if you found some other way to help out around here."

Fuji still felt strange shivers run down his spine whenever he looked at the onsen's beautiful tenant. She looked to be in her early forties, but had managed to retain a slender form that fit her simple blue kimono and sky blue obi perfectly. Ari possessed very kind eyes, the kind of simple radiance that only those who have truly loved and experienced happiness possess. However, none of these things struck Fuji more than her nearly white blonde hair that cascaded over her face and descended past her waist, restrained only by a blue ribbon that kept it in a long ponytail.

Megumi hung her head in sadness at the tenant's words. "I'm sorry, Ari-san. I'm just trying to find a way to do my part around here."

"No one's got a problem with that." a voice chirped from within the simple yet massive building that comprised the majority of the onsen. "Still, there are easier tasks than finding something you do right."

Megumi looked very confused. "Like what?"

Nobumitsu's sister, Tomoe, emerged from within the mansion. "Oh, I don't know. Fighting dragons, maybe?"

Tomoe was a very plain-looking girl, especially when compared to her gargantuan brother. She wore a simple brown children's kimono with a red obi, and her black hair tied back in twin pigtails. Her wide, open eyes were the most endearing part about the girl, though it often made those who did not like children uncomfortable. According to Gateau Ari, who had given the girl a job assisting her with the mansion's upkeep, Tomoe was normally a very sweet and understanding sort of person. Apparently, however, that understanding had its limits.

The last comment by the young girl had obviously stung the hapless Megumi. Tears began to well up in the former kunoichi's eyes.

"Hey," Megumi sniffed. "I'm trying my hardest! Why do you have to pick on me like that?"

Using the sound of Megumi's voice, Yuki moved to stop the impending stream of tears. "Don't take it so seriously, Megu. I've got something you could do for me. Why don't you go check on Noriko? I saw her out back near the cliffside."

"What's she doing back there?" Fuji wondered aloud. "I thought she was supposed to be resting."

"People have different ways of relaxing." Ari commented as she returned to the wash. "Hers just seems to involve swinging a sword."

Fuji felt that weird shiver again at the sound of Ari's voice. What was it about this woman?

"Yeah," Yuki added. "She doesn't want to be out of practice for the next time she sees Matsuda Jiro. Not that it would make that much difference considering how their last meeting went, but who can stop her anyway?"

Fuji smiled at the group and began making his way toward the mansion. "Well, I'd be glad if you could check on Noriko for me, Megumi. I'll go see if Takashi's woken up yet."

"I came close to getting him awake earlier." Tomoe almost giggled. "I wonder what he meant by 'five more minutes, baby; The Greatness hasn't had time to get up yet'."

Fuji sighed heavily. "Oh yeah. It sounds like he's getting a whole lot better."

As the Shinto apprentice entered the onsen's mansion, he couldn't help but admire not only the aristocratic architecture, but also the immaculate cleanness of every room within. The two floors of the building were supported by polished wooden pillars and covered by a traditional clay tile roof. Straw mats covered the floors of the living areas while fine-grain timber lay exposed along the hallways and work areas.

Fuji ascended the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor, which housed a multitude of individual sleeping quarters separated by wooden-framed paper screens, similar to a high-class inn. They had placed Takashi in a room near the outside wall, with a screen open during the daytime to let in fresh air. Fuji carefully closed the screen to the Takashi's room behind him and glanced over the futon-covered ronin. He wasn't snoring as loud as usual, but he still seemed to be asleep. The apprentice sighed and went to adjust the glass wind chime that Ari had been kind enough to hang outside the open screen; the object had come slightly unhinged from the thatched straw that constituted the tile roof's underbelly. Once fixed back in place, the chime began playing its sweet, lilting tune that offered serenity to just about any environ.

Fuji was just about to sit back in a corner and take a nap himself when he heard strange mumbles coming from the ronin.

"Takashi?" he questioned tentatively. "You awake?"

After several low growls, the ronin responded. "Oh, hey Fuji."

"_Yatta ze_." Fuji commented. "Thought you'd never wake up. It's been two days; you want something to eat?"

Takashi smiled widely. "Sake."

Fuji laughed politely and rose to his feet. "Actually, I think we have that here. You'll have to walk for it though; think you're up to it?"

"I am always," Takashi grunted as he struggled to rise and eventually succeeded. "Up to it."

As the apprentice assisted Takashi in walking slowly toward the stairwell, the ronin seemed to realize the unfamiliarity of his surroundings for the first time.

"Hey, where did we end up?" Takashi wondered aloud.

"You remember Tomoe from New Komo Town, the girl we saved?" Fuji questioned. "She has a job up here at the Yunoyama Onsen. She convinced the tenant, Gateau Ari, to let us stay until we can travel as a group again."

"Yunoyama." Takashi commented. "I was about five years old when they finished this place. It was a real big deal back then. Anyhow, that was real nice of the tenant. Do we have to pay?"

"That's the funny thing." Fuji responded. "She wouldn't take any money from us, even though I offered. It sounds charitable, but to be honest, that lady gives me the creeps."

Takashi smiled as they began to descend the stairs. "Can't always look a gift horse in the mouth, Fuji. We'll just make our stay as brief as possible."

Fuji stopped midway on the staircase landing. "Hey, Takashi? Why did you leave?"

"Huh?" the ronin replied.

The apprentice's eyes narrowed. "Back when we stayed the night in New Komo Town, you just up and disappeared. The next time we saw you was in the ruins of Old Komo Town. Did you get attacked by that Hideaki guy?"

Takashi grimaced. "So, you met him too, eh?"

"'Met' really isn't the word." Fuji corrected. "He probably would have killed us if I hadn't blinded him."

"Sounds about right." Takashi sighed. "You should know that what happened wasn't exactly what I'd intended by leaving the group."

The apprentice smiled lopsidedly. "I kind of figured that."

The ronin's eyes narrowed seriously, his long black hair nearly covering his vision. "I saw Hideaki in town that afternoon, but I didn't want to admit that he was still alive. When I heard that someone by his very description was traveling with the man who murdered Noriko's father, I had to find out for myself what was going on. I thought that, at the very least, I could take care of one of the guys Noriko would be fighting against. That's why I left that note." Takashi grinned and looked upward, but Fuji could see the sadness in his gaze. "Wish I'd never left it," the ronin continued. "In the end, I did more harm than help."

Fuji remained perplexed. "What about this Hideaki? You know him, right? And Yuki too?"

"Hideaki is Yuki's older half-brother, a pure raiju demon." Takashi responded. "We were all friends once, but that was a long time ago. I thought that he died in the fire eight years ago as well, but then, I've been wrong about a lot of things lately."

>>>

The area past the hot spring baths of the Yunoyama Onsen was a small, grassy cliff that represented the lower edge of the depression in the east side of Mt. Gozaisho. Itagaki Noriko stood atop this overhang, swinging her katana, the _Amatsuotome_, in delicate patterns and moving with the stylish grace of a**_ Kagura_**dancer in the early evening mist. Well-made bandages covered her many wounds, but they were beginning to come apart due to the swordswoman's sweat-laced exertions.

Unacceptable. Simply unacceptable. Her movements were slower than normal due to the injuries she had sustained in the battle against Matsuda Jiro. This would not do if she was to challenge the murderer again.

"Nori-chan?" a cautious voice called from the steps leading to the cliff. "Are you alright?"

Noriko stopped in her movements and looked toward the voice. "Megumi? What are you doing up here? I thought you were helping Ari-san with the laundry."

Megumi looked more than a little self-conscious as she stepped forward to reply. "Well, that didn't go so well, so I decided to check on you. Should you be practicing like that with those wounds?"

Noriko resumed her movements. "I don't have a choice. Our enemies could attack at any time, and I have to be ready to face them."

Megumi's gaze narrowed. "Face 'them', or face Jiro?"

Noriko continued without so much as a pause. "Matsuda Jiro is my target, he has always been. You should know that by now. He's the very reason I've come this far, and the only reason that I wield a sword."

Megumi sat down on a large rock. "What about the others? If they're in danger, wouldn't you help them?"

"I told you before," Noriko replied, a slight strain present in her voice. "I can't waste my time looking out for other people when I've got my own problems to handle. If I defeated Jiro, then maybe I could lend a hand, but I won't cover for anybody else while he's still a presence on the battlefield."

Megumi looked out toward the lights of New Komo Town in the distance. "Do we mean anything to you at all, Nori-chan?"

Noriko stopped in her movements. "Mean something? Listen, I was the one who started traveling south in order to find the man who killed my father, me and no one else. Every one of you joined me along the way of your own accord; I didn't ask for anyone's help or company. Don't think that I owe you something simply for being with you for a short time."

Megumi looked very downcast. "I understand."

Feeling the uncomfortable silence that followed, Noriko added, "Don't feel sad about it or anything. People who get close to me eventually get hurt, and I'm usually to blame for it. It's better for you not to get attached to someone like that, trust me."

Megumi's voice turned to a whisper. "Do you think that people want that kind of charity?"

Noriko barely had time to consider this before a voice boomed out over the mist.

"Itagaki Noriko!"

Megumi turned toward the mansion. "It came from over there; do you recognize it?"

Noriko sheathed her katana and began moving lopsidedly toward the stone stairway. "Of course, that's Nobumitsu from New Komo Town. What's he doing here?"

>>>

"What's going on, brother?" Tomoe demanded. "Why can't you speak to Fuji-san?"

Nobumitsu stood in the middle of the clearing next to the Yunoyama Onsen's entrance, while Fuji, Takashi, Ari, Yuki, and Tomoe stood just outside the entrance.

Nobumitsu extended an arm toward his little sister. "Tomoe-chan, come here this instant!"

Tomoe complied, but still looked questioningly into her brother's ever-stern gaze.

"I mean no disrespect to the surrogate son of the High Shinto Priest Yamamoto Genji, but he is not the leader of this group. Even further," Nobumitsu directed a hateful look toward Takashi. "I will not communicate with that ronin in my sight."

Surprisingly, Takashi did not respond to the insult, simply turning his eyes downward, almost as if in shame.

"Hey!" Fuji countered. "What did Takashi ever do to you?"

Nobumitsu laughed dryly. "More than you'll ever be able to understand, son."

Noriko materialized out of the mist along with Megumi. "What is the meaning of this, Nobumitsu-san?"

The town guardian turned toward Noriko. "Ah, Itagaki-san. I have come to retrieve my sister, and also to deliver two vital pieces of information to you."

Noriko nodded. "Very well; go ahead."

"The first piece of information regards several sacred documents that had been removed from the Shinto shrine at the top of Mt. Gozaisho." Nobumitsu began. "They were carefully stored in New Komo Town after the fire at the shrine, and have remained there by the order of the Ise Shrine. However, one of the men seen with your father's murderer recently removed several of the more dangerous volumes from our custody."

Noriko's expression grew more serious. "That is doubtless a grave concern, but what does that have to do with removing your sister from this location?"

Nobumitsu pointed an accusatory finger in Takashi's direction. "This ronin, Ueda Takashi, is a danger to your entire group, and I do not wish for my sister to be anywhere near this menace."

"Menace?" Fuji exclaimed. "Why would you say something like that about Takashi? He's done everything he can to help us so far!"

Nobumitsu turned toward the apprentice. "Is that so? What do you really know about him? What has he told you about the destruction of Old Komo Town?"

Noriko looked toward Takashi dangerously before saying anything else. "Old Komo Town was destroyed in a fire eight years ago during a bandit raid. Is this not correct?"

Nobumitsu laughed dryly. "No, it is very far from correct. Nothing short of an army could have achieved that feat in such a short time, nothing except Ueda Takashi."

"What are you talking about!" Megumi questioned. "That doesn't make any sense!"

Nobumitsu glared with anger in his eyes at the downcast ronin. "Eight years ago, Ueda Takashi used the power of the _Shinryo-ken_, his cursed broadsword, to lay waste to Old Komo Town."

Shock crossed Fuji's face as he turned to the accused. "He's kidding, right Takashi? That can't be right, can it?"

Takashi looked up towards Nobumitsu with pain laced across his narrow features. "It's true. I am the one responsible for the destruction of my hometown, and the deaths of all who fell victim to the fires of the _Shinryo-ken_."

Nobumitsu turned to leave, taking hold of Tomoe's hand. "My apologies to you, Ari-san, but I would not wish to force the warriors out of your hands in exchange for my sister's job."

Ari did not share in the shock that had overtaken the rest of the group. "It is no problem, Nobumitsu-san. I will send word once they have left."

Noriko walked over to Takashi and stared the ronin straight in the eye. "Everyone, inside now. Our friend Takashi has some serious explaining to do."

(End Chapter Thirteen)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

o-fude - translates as "honorable holy writing". Normally associated with the Shinto belief system, any paper with o-fude written on it is said to have a kind of mystical power.

yatta ze - a masculine variation of the expression for "I did it!".

Amatsuotome - translates as "Celestial Maiden".

Kagura - a special type of music used exculsively for Shinto ceremonies.

Shinryo-ken - translates as "Sword of Divine Will".


	17. Paradigm Shift

Chapter Fourteen  
Paradigm Shift

>>>Morning - May 5, 1583

The Shinto shrine at the summit of Mt. Gozaisho was small only by comparison to other shrines at lower elevations. Even in its present burnt-out state, Anakouji Jeffery could tell that the shrine had once been composed of several buildings spread out over a wide paved area. It had probably even been self-sufficient many years ago. The only structure that had remained intact to any degree was what had once been the living quarters for the resident priests, probably due to its relative distance from the other buildings.

Jeffy walked toward this structure just behind the assassin Wild Card, who had remained perpetually silent ever since the Yaen Master's initial confrontation with him.

"So," Jeffy started. "Now can you tell me why I've been forced to come here?"

Wild Card sighed. "My master will tell you himself shortly; can you not see him?"

"I can." Jeffy responded, leaning around the assassin. "Just figured I'd bother you once more before we part company."

A dark snigger escaped Wild Card's mask. "Indeed."

Raijin, Matsuda Jiro, and Hideaki stood at the entrance to the shrine's only remaining structure, waiting for the assassin and his captive. Hideaki stood motionless and to the left of the building's stairway, the massive chain Ikazuchi slung around his left arm. Matsuda Jiro leaned against the staircase's left rail, his black kimono-covered arms folded over his chest and his eyes practically glued on Jeffy's every move. Raijin himself stood directly in front of the building's entrance, covered almost entirely by a massive black cloak and an unusual mask of the same color, roughly heart-shaped with humongous red eyes and numerous white spikes protruding from the top. The only thing about the raiju that was otherwise visible was a massive mane of white hair that fell down the entire length of Raijin's backside. The High Yaen Master addressed Jeffy as soon as he reached the courtyard just a few feet away from the building's entrance.

"Anakouji Jeffery! How long has it been?"

Jeffy looked up toward the imposing figure with an impertinent smirk. "It's been eighteen years since you, Jiro, and I took seperate paths toward our goals."

The aforementioned Jiro raised his hand toward his former peer. "Yo, by the way."

Jeffy almost totally ignored the man. "Why have you summoned me here, High Master Raijin?"

Raijin cocked his head slightly to the left, the mask's unblinking stare giving the demon an ever-more haunting air. "Ah, directly to the point then?"

Jeffy shrugged his shoulders. "Can't really help it; I didn't come here to visit. You could have just asked me to come, but instead, you decided to hold my companions hostage. Therefore, I assume that I wasn't brought here to exchange pleasantries."

"Actually," Raijin began. "I originally summoned you for the simple purpose of catching up, but certain information that has only just recently come to my attention calls for another agenda entirely. My disciple Hideaki has observed that the Shinto apprentice in your group is carrying a large broadsword; I believe you call it by the name 'Shinryo-ken'."

Jeffy's eyebrows raised. "What of it?"

Raijin smiled under his mask. "It is my understanding that you wish to purify this sword of an evil curse. I regret to inform you that this is impossible. In order to remove what you define as a curse from that blade, you would have to destroy it completely, leaving no fragments in the process. Since that is next to impossible for a man of your means, I ask that you give the sword to me. There is a much greater role that the blade can fulfill if donated to my cause."

Jeffy pondered this for a moment, making a great show of false consideration. "And your cause is?"

The High Yaen Master snapped his fingers. "A drink for my dear friend Jeffery, so that we might discuss this in greater comfort."

Hideaki wordlessly handed Jeffy a steaming cup of what looked and smelled like black tea. The sword master took hold of the drinking vessel, but refrained from tasting it.

"As I was saying," he resumed. "What is your cause? Why have you come to this mountain in force and threatened my traveling companions?"

Raijin raised both of his aged hands skyward. "I quest for the salvation of Japan, Jeffery."

Jeffy struggled not to laugh at the notion. "The salvation of Japan? From what?"

The High Yaen Master shook his head. "Ah, I fear that I cannot divulge any more of what I know until I have the Shinryo-ken in my possession. Bring it to me, so that we may continue."

Jeffy couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Bring it to you? You think I'll just hand over a dangerous weapon like that based on a trust you threw away 18 years ago? Forget it."

To the sword master's surprise, Raijin laughed heartily in return. "Oh well, it was worth a shot, I guess. Jiro wasn't all that miffed over what happened back then; I just thought you might have finally let bygones be bygones." The raiju master picked up a mug of black tea, similar to Jeffy's and raised it. "You are free to do as you please from now on, Jeffery. I only ask that you drink with me once, a toast to an old friendship that I took for granted."

Jeffy raised his mug in turn. "Very well; I can drink to that."

As soon as the steaming liquid passed Jeffy's lips, he knew he had been tricked. It had not been apparent until the stuff entered his mouth, but the drink tasted like death itself. Within the breadth of a second, the Yaen Master whipped out his katana, grabbed it by the hilt with both hands, and rammed the handle backwards into his own chest. Combined with a massive gust of air from the sword master's diaphragm, the force of the impact blew all of the foul poison from Jeffy's insides, causing him to double over and retch repeatedly.

"Impossible . . ." Raijin stated in awe. "Where did you learn that technique? Even so, how did you detect-"

"The poison?" Jeffy finished, bent double upon the ground. "It has the same aura as the Shinryo-ken. It's under the same curse. Just what did you hope to achieve?"

Raijin straightened his pose as his followers began reaching for their weapons. "It is no poison that I attempted to give you, Jeffery. I would never be so crude. It is hope that you tasted, the hope that will save this country from its greatest peril: the _Ryuketsu_, that which binds the warriors of the Blood Oath together!"

Jeffy looked up toward the bristling warriors in confusion. "Blood Oath? What the hell is this all about?"

"So sad that you will never be able to experience its coming glory." The High Yaen Master turned to his followers. "Wild Card, Jiro, take care of poor Jeffery for me."

Jiro and the assassin leapt toward Jeffy with their familiar unrealistic speed, weapons drawn in a flash. The only thing that the outnumbered Yaen Master had working for him was the announcement of the attack beforehand. He easily blocked the two men's advance with a metallic clang and propelled himself upward onto a nearby crumbling rooftop.

"What is this!" Jeffy exclaimed. "What happened to the Raijin and Jiro I used to know!"

Raijin looked up toward his former student. "I am willing to make any sacrifice for the sake of this country."

Jiro and Wild Card rocketed after their prey, Jiro's katana and the assassin's Kamikaze-ken clashing wildly with Jeffy's blade.

"You think you can do Japan any good like this!" Jeffy shouted in reply. "These are cursed weapons and bloodthirsty mongrels you're toying with here! This is insane!"

Raijin nodded. "If one man's sanity is the price that must be paid for the future of this great land, then so be it."

Jeffy vaulted backward over the buildings, crutches in hand, and made for the lower forest. Wild Card and Jiro were about to follow when Raijin quietly summoned them back.

"What do you wish of us, Master Raijin?" Wild Card inquired, kneeling below the High Yaen Master.

"Jeffy is an immediate danger." Jiro commented. "He should be dealt with."

Raijin held up a cautionary hand. "We'll have plenty of time to deal with old friends after the sword has been retrieved. Both of you are to proceed to the Yunoyama Onsen and carry out our previous plans before Jeffy warns them of our intentions."

As the assassin and Yaen Master departed, Hideaki turned his near-sightless eyes toward Raijin. "Is there something I might attend to, Raijin-sama?"

"How is your eyesight recovering?" the older raiju questioned.

"Well enough." Hideaki responded, cat-like ears alert and twitching. "Whatever deficiency that injury has caused, you know that my hearing can more than make up for it."

"Indeed I do." Raijin concurred. "Why don't you see how your skills stack up against my former student Jeffery? With the training you've received from me, you should easily surpass him, even without the benefit of perfect sight."

Hideaki smiled devilishly. "As you command, Master Raijin." An opportunity to kill someone close to Ueda Takashi? Hideaki was most definitely going to enjoy this.

>>>Evening - May 6, 1583

"Alright, Takashi," Noriko stated as she lit one of the onsen's portable lamps. "You obviously know a heck of a lot more about what's going on here than you've let on. It's time to tell us everything you know; no more games."

Takashi looked around at the group from his seat at the corner of the spacious living area and sighed. "You're probably right about that. Where do I begin?"

Noriko took her seat at the head of the group, all of whom had gathered around the ronin with the exception of Ari, who was off tending to another area of the mansion. "Let's start with what happened to Old Komo Town eight years ago. Don't leave out any details."

Fuji could see the heavy strain in Takashi's face as he prepared to tell his story. The ronin had made every effort since they had met to keep his past out of the present, and nothing about that desire had changed. Fuji had been curious about Takashi's past for quite a while, but seeing the ronin's present state of distress and sadness, the apprentice wasn't sure that he wanted to know anymore.

"It's actually pretty simple." Takashi began. "I was friends with a raiju named Hideaki and a half-raiju named Yuki. We found three swords in a cave on this mountain: the Kamikaze-ken, Ikazuchi-ken, and Shinryo-ken. A few days later, I destroyed Old Komo Town with the Shinryo-ken."

"You just up and destroyed it?" Fuji questioned with disbelief. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Even more importantly," Noriko interjected. "How is that physically possible? How do you destroy an entire town with one sword, particularly with a sword that you were too small to wield back then?"

Takashi shook his head fiercely, as if trying to rid himself of the memory. "The details are still kind of hazy. I couldn't tell you why it happened; all that I remember is that it did, in fact, happen. As for how I did it, the Shinryo-ken has an incredible amount of power. Enough to allow a 12-year-old to wield it, and more than enough to set an entire town on fire."

Noriko raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Let me get this straight; you destroyed an entire town and killed who-knows-how-many people with a magic sword and you have no idea why you did it? You'll forgive me if I find that a little hard to believe."

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not," Takashi replied. "That's exactly how it happened."

"Is that why you gave it to Jeffy-sensei?" Fuji queried.

The ronin gave a weak smile. "Yeah, eventually, but not before it happened again. You know about the Honnoji no Hen, right?"

Noriko put a hand to her forehead. "Oh you've got to be kidding me . . ."

Takashi nodded in affirmation. "Nobunaga Oda was consumed in an 'accidental' fire that nearly razed Honnoji Temple to the ground. Only thing is, the fire wasn't accidental. I tried to use the Shinryo-ken against Mitsuhide Akechi's forces and ended up killing my own master."

"_Uso_ . . ." Megumi gasped. "That can't be right . . ."

Fuji couldn't believe his ears. The cursed broadsword that he had been toting around had enough power nearly wipe a town from the face of the earth and push back an entire army as well? That most definitely sounded like something that could threaten the future of Japan itself. Was this what he had been sent to deal with?

"Yuki-chan," Megumi called to the catgirl who had remained curiously silent up till now. "This doesn't sound like Takashi, does it? He's got it wrong somehow, right?"

Yuki looked up at the former kunoich with more gravity than Fuji thought humanly possible. "It's best if you accept Takashi's words as the truth. He knows far more than anyone else about what happened. And besides, even if I were counter his statement, would you accept my word as reason enough to continue trusting him?"

"Very true, Yuki." Noriko commented. "I only need to know two things. First, do you, Takashi, know anything about those who accompany Matsuda Jiro?"

The ronin again shook his head. "I only know about Hideaki, and then only up to eight years ago. I thought he died in the fire that burned down Old Komo Town, but here he is, despite whatever I believe to be true. He rightly blames me for what I've done and wants revenge, plain and simple. Also, if that chain he carries is a reforged version of the Ikazuchi, then he has absolute power over the element of lightning, due to his raiju heritage."

"Fair enough," Noriko assessed. "The other question I have is in regard to your stories about Old Komo Town and the Honnoji no Hen." Fuji detected a dangerous undertone to Noriko's voice. "Is what you've told us in this room the absolute truth of your doings?"

Takashi looked slightly confused. "As far as I can remember, yes."

Noriko folded her arms across her chest. "In that case, I hold your promise to me completed and/or cancelled, whichever you prefer. In any case, you are free from your task and hereby forbidden to follow or assist me any further."

"What!" Megumi exclaimed. "You mean that Takashi can't come with us anymore?"

The swordswoman turned her back to the group. "That's correct. I can't have someone along who would misuse power and kill great numbers of people due to simple ignorance. According to Takashi himself, he is an irresponsible and unstable element in a combat situation, and I'm not bringing him along so he can just set us on fire whenever he feels the urge."

Fuji didn't know why, but something about this situation was making his blood boil. "That-that's not fair! We've all made mistakes in our past, right?"

"Not like this, Fuji." Takashi mumbled.

"Even so," the apprentice continued, his heartbeat involuntarily speeding up. "He hasn't done anything like that since we've known him!"

"Is that so?" Noriko mused. "What do you call his little disappearing act in New Komo Town?"

Fuji winced; he hadn't had a chance to explain that to Noriko yet. "He thought he was helping you when he challenged Hideaki on his own. What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong?" Noriko nearly laughed. "He abandoned us just before a battle that almost cost us our lives! Who's to say he won't do that again when the next confrontation shows up?"

The apprentice could feel heat rising in his neck. "How can you blame him for that? You were the one who was all like, 'I can take care of everything by myself'."

Noriko smirked. "And who's to say I couldn't have? I guess we'll never know because I spent most of the battle babysitting a bunch of incompetent tagalongs."

"That's going too far." Yuki interjected. "Fuji saved your life during that confrontation. You owe him at least some gratitude."

"Gratitude?" Noriko scoffed. "Oh yeah, I'm so grateful for a Shinto apprentice constantly butting in where he doesn't belong."

Something snapped inside Fuji's head. "Tell me something, Noriko. Why do you always have to be such a stone-cold bitch!"

Complete silence fell upon the room. Even Takashi looked up in surprise at the Shinto apprentice's sudden use of profanity. Noriko turned around slowly, her eyes widened in a disproportionate manner, almost as if they were about to explode out of her head.

"What did you just say to me?"

Fuji sweated profusely. What the hell was the matter with him? The apprentice wished sorely that he could take what he'd just said back, but now that it had been said, he decided to stand his ground.

"You-you know exactly what I just said. No matter how much everybody in this room wants and tries to help you, you always treat us like dirt."

"Oh." Noriko replied in a voice that was far too quiet. "So, let me see if I understand you. Because you people tag along with me everywhere I go even though I didn't ask for your help and explicitly said that I didn't want or need your help in the first place, I owe **you** something in return?"

Fuji quickly stammered a response. "That-that's not exactly what I-"

WHACK! The back of Noriko's hand hit the right side of Fuji's face with the force of a cannon blast. The apprentice's body struck the floor of the room with a sharp thud as the whole group recoiled in stunned shock.

Noriko bowed low toward the apprentice's reddened face before anything else could be said. "Let me spell something out for you, Fuji. I don't **want** any of you to come with me. I don't **need **any of you to come with me. Furthermore, I did **not** ask for anybody's **help**! You want to complain about my behavior? Since when do I give a rat's ass what you people think about me? I don't owe any of you one damn thing!"

The swordswoman made her way toward the screen door to the outside. "If anyone here needs another dose of that little thing I like to call 'reality', I'd prefer it if you go somewhere and self-fornicate instead; you're bound to get more satisfaction out of that."

A deathly silence fell on the room after Noriko's departure. Fuji held a hand to the stinging pain in the right side of his face for several moments before Takashi spoke.

"Hey, Fuji?"

The apprentice did not turn toward the ronin. "Yeah?"

Takashi bowed his head low. "There's no need to stand up for someone like me."

Fuji rose to his feet and walked slowly toward the second floor stairway. Just before reaching the edge of the room, he turned and offered a response to the ronin's claim.

"I know that, Takashi. That's exactly why I chose to."

>>>Night - May 6, 1583

As another moonlit night descended on the forests of Mt. Gozaisho, Shisho Kumo rested against a large pine tree and looked upwards. He had spent most of the day here after receiving his orders from Ninja Master Hikari through a brief visit with Haohmaru Kagome. A voice from the treetops disturbed the ninja's silent contemplation.

"Hey there, Kumo. Your eyes feeling better yet?"

Kumo looked upwards. "Yes, actually. I can see much better now. Were you present for my conversation with Kagome?"

The voice in the darkness laughed. "Of course I was, what else do I have to do all day? It's not like we can make another move without knowing for sure that our plan will work, right? Until now, your injury from that battle in New Komo Town has pretty much rendered us immobile."

"Then you are aware of our new objective?" Kumo questioned.

"I wonder who it was that came up with that lame idea." the voice pondered. "Let the situation unfold by itself? Ha, we'll see just how far that goes."

"Megumi," Kumo began to caution. "Do not disobey Master Hikari's orders in order to satiate your own lust for revenge; the ronin will meet his fate in due time."

A pair of gleaming yellow eyes appeared in the shrubbery to Kumo's left. "You think too little of me, Kumo. I'd never go against the will of Ninja Master Hikari, but according to what Kagome said, she's left us a lot of freedom to act on our own accord."

Kumo cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

"We are to guide the direction of the conflict as necessary, remember?" the voice reminded. "That could be interpreted as 'guide at your discretion', right?."

Kumo sighed. "I don't like where you're going with this, Megu."

The voice laughed darkly. "Don't worry about it, Kumo; I'm not asking you to do a single thing besides look the other way. How about I do a little bit of 'guiding' while you rest up from your injuries? If Ueda Takashi happens to die in the process, then the situation must have demanded it, eh?"

Kumo looked downward. "I won't lie to the Ninja Master, not even for you Megumi. Whatever you do, you do it at your own risk. Why even rush this at all?"

The eyes in the dark narrowed. "No reason, really. I'd just like to see the ronin perish sooner rather than later."

(End Chapter Fourteen)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

Ryuketsu - a play on the Japanese words for dragon (ryu) and blood (ketsueki).

uso - either "you're kidding" or "impossible".


	18. One Wall Unto Many

Chapter Fifteen  
One Wall Unto Many

>>>Night - May 6, 1583

It is not often that one encounters the smell of raw minerals in the air, especially in the urban environments where more and more people tend to congregate as time goes on. At first, it may be offensive, almost overpowering, but it soon transforms into a feeling of cleansing, of being more alive now than just a moment ago.

Fuji was quite sure that he enjoyed the smell. At an earlier time in his life, he had been taken along on a pilgrimage to a different onsen. He couldn't remember the name of the place, nor most of the journey, but Fuji could definitely remember the unique smell and the warmth of the water. In truth, the apprentice would have loved to take a dip at this particular moment in time, but the thought of running into his comrades kept him chained to the outside porch on which he had chosen to relax.

Relaxation should have been easy here. The warm mineral smell of the hot springs drifted through the air, crickets chirped their songs into the night sky, and pine trees swayed wistfully in the breeze, the rustle of their leaves adding a blissful background to the symphony of the evening. No matter how Fuji tried to envelop himself in the atmosphere, though, the pain in his chest persisted. It was an awful pressure that had been steadily increasing ever since the apprentice's confrontation with Noriko. Fuji really wanted to not care about what had happened. Sure, Noriko probably hated him now. Sure, the group was probably going to break apart over this. And sure, this was all really trivial in the face of certain death at the hands of the mountain's resident assassins.

Fuji leaned back and stared intently at the twinkling starlight obscured by clouds. Why? Why wouldn't this pressure subside?

"Rough evening?" a voice called from the other side of the deck.

Fuji turned toward the voice, startled for just a moment before he recognized the blue kimono of the mansion's tentant, Ari. "Gateau-san? Yes, I believe you could say that."

Ari moved forward with graceful steps that barely seemed to have any impact at all. "I heard much of your conversation with your friends. Are you alright?"

Fuji felt that weird shiver again. Why was this woman concerned over such a thing? "Well, I don't think Noriko meant to hurt me. If that had been true, I'd probably be dead."

Ari took a seat with her back to the wall just a few inches away from Fuji's right. "Hmm, she is a woman of strong intent."

"You're telling me." Fuji agreed. "It sure didn't take much to get her to abandon Takashi, though."

Ari looked toward the apprentice pensively, her blonde hair shifting at delicate angles. "Do you believe that Noriko's actions were incorrect?"

"Incorrect?" Fuji questioned. "I don't know if I could say that. Takashi did hold out on us, but I can't imagine that he'd betray any of us now. You can practically feel it in his voice; there's a lot more pain behind that story than I think I could even imagine."

"You're probably right," Ari responded. "Everyone has something in their past that they'd rather forget. Are you not the same, Fuji?"

Fuji looked toward Ari with confusion. "The same? What do you mean?"

Ari laughed slightly. "Are you trying to say that you've never done anything that you regret?"

Fuji searched his mind quickly. To tell the truth, there wasn't really anything about his past that he wanted to do over again or take back. That is, except for one thing . . .

_Mitsune . . ._

Fuji looked away from Ari's piercing stare. "I think I can see your point, at least somewhat."

There was a moment of silence before Ari spoke again.

"Fuji, can I ask you something of a personal nature?"

The apprentice turned his gaze back toward the tenant. "Personal? Why would you be interested in that?"

"I don't mean to offend," Ari explained, her eyes shifting from left to right. "I just, I wanted to ask you some things. May I?"

Although Fuji couldn't account for the woman's sudden turn of interest, he didn't really mind sharing things about himself. "Go ahead."

"How much do you remember about your past? You're not originally from Japan, especially with that blonde hair and those blue eyes."

Fuji scratched the back of his head with embarrassment. "That's something I've wondered about every day of my life. Since I was abandoned at the Grand Ise Shrine when I was very young, I don't remember anything about where I came from. How about you, Gateau-san? Your hair color is the same as mine."

Ari stroked her locks of blonde hair tentatively. "I was brought here as the newlywed wife of a prominent daimyo. After he died in battle, I was dismissed from service and taken in by the people of New Komo Town."

"What's it like?" Fuji asked, suddenly taking great interest. "The place where you came from, is it different than Japan?"

Ari smiled warmly. "The world is not Japan, young Fuji. There are many sights that your eyes have not yet seen in this country alone, much less in the world as a whole. Still, are you sure that you remember nothing of your real parents? Not even a feeling or two?"

Fuji was slightly perturbed. What was with that question? "Nothing at all, really. I think of Genji as my father, since he raised me. As for my real parents, who knows? Considering that they abandoned me so long ago, I have to wonder if I really want to know them at all. What kind of people do that sort of thing anyway?"

Ari rose suddenly and placed a hand to her chest. "Fuji, you should talk to your friends now. Takashi is in the men's baths; Megumi is in the women's."

Fuji rose as well. "Did I say something, Gateau-san?"

Ari sighed. "No, not really. I just think you should focus more on talking with your friends than sitting by yourself and mulling over your problems with them. Which activity do you think is more productive?"

Fuji smiled. "Thanks, Gateau-san. Thank you for everything you've done for us."

Ari smiled in return. "It's not a problem, Fuji. Just do me a favor, and don't let your stay go to waste. Peaceful times are the rarest pleasure in the world, and the least often treasured."

As Ari walked away into the building, Fuji felt that weird shivering sensation. Actually, when he saw Ari smile that last time, he had felt a serious wave of deja-vu. Had he met this Ari somewhere before?

>>>

For some reason, Noriko couldn't stop pacing across her training area at the cliffs above the hot springs. What the hell? Everything she'd said in that building had been absolutely, 100-percent true, so why did she feel so damned anxious now? Of course she didn't care about those idiots! Who in their right mind would?

Her sandals continued to make soft patter sounds as she nearly raced back and forth, her hand gripping the handle of the Amatsuotome tightly. Something else was working her nerves right now. Sure, she hadn't really intended to give that uppity Shinto apprentice such a mouthful until much later, but there was something out there. Something in the woods. Something in the woods to her immediate-

"Hey there!"

Noriko almost jumped out of her kimono at the sound of that voice. The swordswoman's blade nearly drew itself as she turned to face the man in the black kimono who had addressed her. His name escaped Noriko's lips in a deathly growl.

"Matsuda Jiro!"

Jiro put his hands forward, not even making the slightest motion toward his weapon. "Now, now; calm down little missy. I didn't come here to start a fight, though I'm sure Raijin would get a kick out of it if I was actually a part of his freaky 'Blood Oath' and obeyed his every order like those other two saps."

Noriko could barely contain her anger. Would a quick strike be the best option? No, the sword master was doubtlessly prepared for such an act. "What makes you think I care whose side you're on! That's my father's necklace you're wearing! How could you have obtained it if you didn't murder him!"

"Murder him?" Jiro smiled. "So that's what this is all about. You think I killed your father? What was his name?"

"Itagaki." Noriko breathed. "Itagaki Masanori!"

"Masanori . . ." Jiro ruminated, stroking his chin to emphasize the fact that he was thinking. "Ah, actually, I remember that guy. He was a little less skilled than you, which is still a pretty low rung on my ladder when you think about it."

"So it's true," Noriko grated. "You are the murderer! Face me and we shall settle this, cretin!"

Jiro laughed out loud. "Face you? Were you even awake when I pummeled you back at Old Komo Town? What do you honestly think you can do against a guy like me anyway?"

Noriko's hand gripped her katana like a vice. "How about I tell you after this sword is buried two feet into your face!"

The swordswoman dashed forward in a lightning-quick attack, but the Yaen Master simply laughed harder and disappeared into the foliage.

"That's a real good line, Nori-chan! Did you learn that from your dad, too?"

Noriko's face contorted with sheer anger as she recklessly gave chase. "Don't you dare call me by that name! I'll tear your living guts out, you murdering scum! You hear me! Come back here!"

>>>

Fuji sighed with pleasure as he sank his towel-clad body into the steaming waters of the Yunoyama hot springs. The pool was surrounded on all sides by stone slopes, the only exception to this being the wooden divider between the men's and women's baths. A wooden deck lead back toward the mansion, but Fuji had opted to immerse himself in the spring water rather than enjoy it from the side. The entire area glowed red from the hanging lanterns as steam from the water rose high into the night sky above.

The apprentice soaked his body lower into the relatively shallow pool, leaning back against the wooden divider. True, there was nobody around, but Fuji still felt self-conscious about being naked in such an open space. Not that there was anything to be ashamed of; the apprentice had gained a slight yet sturdy build from his days of training and exercise at the Ise shrine.

Fuji allowed his mind to become enveloped in the warm, tingling sensation of the hot spring water. This felt great, almost as if all his problems were floating away along with the steaming mist. The onsen he'd been to years ago was enjoyable enough, but this was a whole lot better. Perhaps the spring was more helpful to someone who truly had problems to think about in the first place. Fuji sighed heavily again just before he felt a slight tremor in the wooden divider.

"Is that you, Fuji?"

The apprentice nearly jumped in surprise before reminding himself of the divider's presence. "Uh, yeah. Who's there?"

There was a slight giggle. "It's me, Megumi."

Fuji again slumped back on the divider. "You felt like taking a dip too?"

"Actually," Megumi answered. "I've never tried it before. It feels really nice. I asked Yuki to come, but I don't think she wants to talk right now."

"Understandable," Fuji mused. "That last conversation with Noriko wasn't the most enjoyable of experiences."

There was a short silence before Megumi spoke again. "Fuji, are you mad at Takashi?"

"Mad?" Fuji questioned. "No, why would I be?"

"I just don't understand." Megumi replied. "Noriko got really mad when she found out that Takashi did bad things in the past."

Fuji looked up toward the stars. "I don't think Noriko was really angry about what Takashi did back then. I think what upset her was that Takashi wasn't honest about that to begin with."  
Megumi shifted against the wooden divider. "You think she can't trust him anymore?"

"If I had to guess," Fuji responded. "That's what I'd say. Trust is a big thing, especially between those who fight alongside each other. I mean, what if one of your fellow ninjas hadn't been honest with you back when you worked for the Iga?"

There was another pause. "Trust is really important, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Fuji replied. "If you don't trust somebody, then there's no way you can be friends with them."

"Hey, Fuji?" Megumi began. "Do you trust me?"

Fuji was taken aback for a moment. He'd honestly never thought about Megumi that way. "Well, sure I do. I mean, why wouldn't I?"

"Takashi hasn't done anything to lose our trust since we met," Megumi explained. "But Noriko still doesn't trust him."

Fuji sighed. "Some people place more importance on the past than on the present. As for me, if I have to judge someone's character, it would only be on what I've seen of them and nothing more, understand?"

Fuji could feel Megumi nod vigorously, even though he obviously couldn't see her. "Yes, I think so."

A long silence followed. Fuji was just beginning to nod off when Megumi's voice came over the divider.

"Hey, Fuji?"

The apprentice rose slightly from a slump. "What?"

"You said that you trust me, right?"

"Of course." Fuji replied.

"Do you think . . ." Megumi wondered aloud. "Do you think we could be friends?"

Fuji thought about it a moment before answering. "Sure, why not?"

"_Wai_!" Megumi exclaimed. "I've never had a friend before; what does it mean?"

The apprentice was dumbfounded. "Never had one? Well, it means that we'll be there for each other whenever we need help. At least, that's the best way I could sum it up."

"Fuji," Megumi began. "I trust Takashi too. I trust Noriko, Yuki, and Jeffy-san; can we all be friends?"

"That's the tricky thing." Fuji replied. "To be friends with someone, the trust has to be mutual."

>>>

The screen door slid open with a sharp thud that caused Yuki to turn in surprise. Takashi stood in the doorway, his face crossed heavily with apprehension. The catgirl rose from her seat next to the window and faced the ronin.

"What is it?"

Takashi folded his arms across his chest. "Why didn't you have anything to say to Noriko about what happened eight years ago?"

Yuki looked away uncomfortably. "I really didn't have anything to say at all. Your version of the story is the best one for them to hear right now."

"My version?" Takashi questioned. "How could there be more than one? I think you weren't even there at all!"

Yuki's eyes widened. "Why would you say something like that?"

Takashi grinned as he walked toward the young raiju. "You thought you could impersonate someone from my past so easily? The Yuki I knew aged normally, so how can you be the very same age as back then? Even better, Yuki died on that night eight years ago! How could you possibly be her?"

Yuki looked back toward the night sky outside. "So, this is why you've avoided me all this time."

"Damn right." Takashi huffed. "There are only two things that I can't figure out: the 'how' and the 'why'."

Yuki continued to stare out the window. "You'd do anything to avoid the real truth of that night, wouldn't you?"

The ronin stiffened visibly. "What truth?"

Yuki put a hand to the left side of her face and cackled softly. "You're so transparent, just like back then. I didn't die that day, and neither did Hideaki, not that it did us any good. My brother blamed you for everything and sold his soul to that Raijin, leaving me in the dust just like you did. I find you eight years later, and you make up stories to keep me away? This is really laughable, even for you Taka-kun."

"Your age," Takashi simply stated. "You can't deny that you haven't aged one bit since that day. What's your explanation for that?"

Tears began to stream down Yuki's face. "Just go away, Taka-kun. Keep believing that I'm not real, or that I'm not who I say I am. If that helps you deal with the fact that you left us to die, then just go do it somewhere else."

Takashi seemed frozen in place for a moment, as if these were the first words uttered by Yuki that had actually had an impact on him. The ronin made to leave, but stood in the doorway for a moment, his head bowed low causing the tails of his white headband to fall over his arms.

"You're just like the Yuki I knew, in every single way. Maybe I am making things up to keep away from you, maybe not. If I knew, I would tell you. There are holes in my memory, things that don't fit together or don't quite add up. I should have just asked without assuming things for myself."

"Please," Yuki sobbed. "I want to be alone right now."

Takashi put a hand to the screen door. "Gomen nasai, Yuki-chan."

(End Chapter Fifteen)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

wai - an expression of delight, though mostly used either by children or girls trying to be cute.


	19. To the Endless Retreat

House of Maxwell Productions  
Presents

Samurai Banzai RELOAD  
Volume 4 - The People We Are (Chapters 16 - 20)

Based on the webcomic Samurai Banzai  
Copyright 2004 Briana Higgins

Written by  
Elite Plushie

Chapter Sixteen  
To the Endless Retreat

>>>Morning - May 7, 1583

Dawn had broken over the slopes of Mt. Gozaisho. Sunlight filtered through the treetops at broken angles, casting shadows that seemed to stretch far off into the horizon. Birds twittered in their daily chorus, their tunes accentuated by a strangely metallic beat: the sound of clashing swords.

Noriko grunted and yelled with each successive attack, putting all of her weight into each swing of the Amatsuotome. Unfortunately, Matsuda Jiro seemed to exert no effort when either dodging or blocking her strikes. The dance had continued for most of the night, despite Jiro's continued efforts to calm the rabid swordswoman. With the sun now sending stark rays through the forest, the Yaen Master could see the cascades of sweat that shook loose from Noriko's face at periodic intervals. An odd thought entered Jiro's mind at that moment; the swordswoman would have definitely benefited from the shade of the straw hat she had obviously left behind. At least the cumbersome bandages that had been covering the light wounds Noriko had received from her first confrontation with Jiro had long since fallen off from the strain of combat.

"Jeez . . ." Jiro groaned as Noriko continued to heft her stylized katana in his general direction. "When are you going to stop? Seriously, my arm is starting to itch real bad from all this."

"Shut up." Noriko spat back. "You'd better hope that I don't start taking you seriously."

"Seriously?" Jiro nearly laughed. "Don't think I can't see it; you're nearly exhausted! Can't you tell yet that I'm not here to kill you?"

"Real shame." Noriko responded dryly. "This won't be very exciting if you don't fight back!"

"God," Jiro moaned. "You just can't take a hint, can you? Here, allow me to demonstrate."

There was a sharp screech, a shower of sparks, and a loud whistling noise just before Noriko's katana buried its blade three feet into a tree trunk several yards away. Noriko looked dumbfounded for a second before a ringing pain began to echo through her arms. She clutched wildly at her shivering limbs, only to find her teeth chattering in response.

"What-what the hell?" she managed. "How-how d-did you?"

The Yaen Master leaned down into her face. "Didn't I tell you before? It is literally impossible for you to defeat me with your current skills." Jiro walked a few steps away from the swordswoman and sheathed his katana before continuing. "This should at least take care of what's been nagging you lately."

Noriko glared menacingly at the sword master. "What?"

Jiro grinned widely. "You don't fare any better against me when you're not babysitting a bunch of incompetent tagalongs."

Surprise crossed the swordswoman's face before she responded. "You bastard! You were listening in on us even then?"

Jiro shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, don't hate me for being the messenger. Your ego seems to have grown way out of proportion. That kind of thing won't do you any good against the guy who killed your father, and it most definitely won't get you off this mountain alive."

Noriko considered this for a moment. "What do you mean 'the guy who killed my father'?"

The Yaen Master turned toward the swordswoman with perplexity in his eyes. "I mean exactly what I said. What, you really think I killed him?"

"Of course!" Noriko shouted. "You have his necklace, and you said that you fought with him! Who else could you be?"

Jiro shook his head and did his best not to laugh at the swordswoman's confusion. "I said that I fought with him and that I knew his name. That's all I said. When did I ever say that I killed him?"

Noriko pointed toward the Yaen Master's chest. "Alright then. Explain the necklace; my father had it on the day that he died. Only the murderer could have taken it."

"Okay," Jiro responded. "Let me make two things very clear here. First of all, I didn't get this from your father. Second, do you even know what this is?" Jiro held out the triangular jewel, causing it to glint in the sunlight. "This is the right eye of Amaterasu's Mirror, stolen from the Grand Ise Shrine over nine years ago."

>>>

_Awake._

Fuji's eyes snapped wide open and stared at the wooden ceiling supports. There was nothing out of the ordinary, really. The apprentice was still inside the large blanket of his futon, his head still resting on a pillow. Nothing in the room had moved, and warm sunlight poured in through the open screens and windows. However, something about this calm was out of place.

_Disturbance._

Fuji sat upright. Something was nagging at his brain, something just beyond the realm of the tangible. Something had been forgotten, and the apprentice's sleepy mind was having trouble remembering. It was important, whatever it was.

"Fuji!" Takashi's voice called from beyond the screen doors. "Get out here, quick!"

The apprentice hastily donned his clothes and sandals, not forgetting to pick up the Fan of Uzume. That was it; the chain of o-fude charms had been broken. Someone had crossed the barrier and ended the calm that the apprentice had bought for his companions.

Fuji emerged from the entrance to the Yunoyama Onsen a few moments later to arrive at a very strange sight. Of immediate import was the assassin Wild Card, standing at the edge of the forest and holding the blade of the Kamikaze-ken close to Gateau Ari's throat. Takashi, Yuki, and Megumi all stood in a group just in front of the mansion's entrance, Takashi attempting to reason with the assassin.

"What does this have to do with her?" the ronin shouted. "If you want to fight us, then let's do it!"

"You misunderstand." Wild Card uttered in a strangely quiet voice. "I only wish to battle with one of you."

"A duel, huh?" Takashi mused. "Fine then, I accept."

Wild Card shook his masked head, jet-black hair shaking left and right. "Hasty, too hasty, ronin. The one I wish to fight with is-" The assassin pointed a finger in Fuji's direction. "Him!"

"Fuji?" Yuki gaped. "What would you want to fight him for? It'd be over before it even began, and you know it."

"Irrelevant." Wild Card responded. "Either I am allowed to duel with Yamamoto Fuji, or this woman dies."

"That's a bit trusting." Takashi grinned. "How do you know that the rest of us won't interfere?"

"Foolish." the assassin grunted with great instability. "Your companions know the heights my skills have reached. If you intervene at any time, nothing can stop me from killing every single one of you faster than you can possibly react."

Takashi turned toward Yuki. "Is this true?"

The female raiju only nodded once.

"This isn't fair," Megumi interjected. "Fuji doesn't even have a sword. How can he fight?"

"Here." Takashi muttered, handing his wakizashi to the apprentice. "A katana would be too heavy for a first-timer. Did Jeffy teach you anything about how to use a real sword?"

Fuji took hold of the nearly unused blade, still resting in its scabbard. "I did train with his wakizashi from time to time, but there's no way that I could have learned enough to fight this guy!"

"Fuji," Takashi calmly stated. "I'm not going to force you to do this. If you want, we can all attack this wacko together right now. The only thing is, I can't guarantee that I'll save Ari in time. Once we have Ari, then maybe I could do something, but we have to get her away from that guy. You have to be the one to decide whether you'll take the risk of distracting him, though."

Fuji gripped the scabbard and handle of the wakizashi tightly, looking carefully into the frightened eyes of the mansion's tenant, Ari. "I don't stand a chance of actually defeating this assassin, but I'll do my best for her. She's done so much for us without asking anything in return; I can't let her die due to my lack of skill. I'll fight him Takashi, you just worry about getting everyone out of here. There's bound to be more than one of these guys around."

The ronin nodded. "I figured as much. Good luck, man."

Megumi took hold of the apprentice's hand. "Don't die, Fuji. You're my friend, remember?"

Fuji smiled warmly. "Of course. I won't leave you alone, Megu. I promise."

The apprentice could feel his heart race with every step he took toward Wild Card and his captive. His muscles tensed in anxiety and drew the wakizashi from its sheath almost against his will. The gleaming blade reflected the morning sunlight as Fuji addressed the assassin.

"I accept your challenge, Wild Card. Let Ari go, and we will settle whatever lies between us."

The assassin nearly threw Ari in Takashi's direction, dashing madly at Fuji in the same instant. "Whatever lies between us? You can't even begin to imagine what you promise, young apprentice!"

Fuji hastily brought up the wakizashi in defense, which was the only thing that prevented his life from ending right then and there. The force of the impact between his short sword and the Kamikaze-ken was so great, however, that the apprentice was thrown backwards into the air.

"Fuji!" Megumi cried.

"Kamikaze-ken . . ." Yuki whispered under her breath. "Kamikaze-ken . . ." Why wouldn't the sword respond to her summons? What force had Wild Card exerted over the blade to keep it from its master?

Fuji barely recovered from his flight, landing squarely on his rump but leaping to his feet just in time to defend against the next blow. Wild Card's current strike had been directed horizontally, resulting in a shower of sparks rather than another aerial ascent.

"How weak!" the assassin nearly laughed. "How incredibly weak!"

"Dammit." Takashi cursed as he tended to Ari. "There's no way that this is going to last."

"_Daijoubu_." Ari said to the ronin in a near-whisper. "Fuji will be alright. Don't doubt him yet."

Takashi looked strangely at the tenant. "What makes you so sure?"

Wild Card engaged in a rapid series of stabbing motions meant to whittle down his opponent's already unstable defense. Fuji attempted to keep pace with the assassin, but he still sustained light cuts all over his body, his white keikogi slowly ripping apart.

"No good!" the Wild Card shouted. "You have to be faster, Fuji!"

"Faster!" the apprentice managed. "What are you talking about!"

Wild Card ceased his attack and shook his head wildly. "Great things lie ahead for you, young apprentice. If you hope to survive, you have to be stronger, faster than you are!"

The assassin whirled his blade in a circular arc, clashing again with Fuji's wakizashi in a shower of sparks as their weapons locked together.

"What is this!" Fuji questioned fearfully as the grapple continued. "Why do you care about my future? Aren't you here to kill us?"

"Make no mistake." the assassin growled. "If you falter, I will kill you. If they interfere, I will kill you. However, as long as we fight, I can speak."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Fuji shouted, bowing low against the force of his opponent's blade. "What could we possibly have to talk about?"

"Your parents." Wild Card responded flatly. "What do you know about them?"

"My parents?" Fuji questioned as he nearly lost his balance. "What do they have to do with-"

"Their names," the assassin interrupted. "Were Argus and May Pilazzo. Argus owned a Portuguese trading company and has a mansion at the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. May was an Englishwoman he met on one of his travels. They married and had two children before they came to Japan."

Wild Card broke the grapple and quickly reversed his direction into an overhead strike. Fuji brought up the wakizashi in both hands, for the first time blocking the assassin's attack with relative ease.

"Good." Wild Card commented. "You're beginning to get the hang of it."

"How do you know all this?" Fuji inquired. "What's so important about my parents?"

"Quiet!" Wild Card instructed, initiating another grapple with the apprentice. "I have learned much in my travels, you have only to listen! Argus and May Pilazzo were summoned to Japan by a man named Raijin. When they arrived, carrying a certain good which Raijin had requested, they were betrayed by the client. Their daughter was lost, and Argus was wounded, but May escaped with their son. She entrusted him to the head of the Grand Ise Shrine, Yamamoto Genji!"

"You've got to be kidding . . ." Fuji mumbled as he fought against the overpowering strength of the assassin. "Why didn't he tell me?"

"There was nothing to tell." Wild Card responded. "May left just after surrendering her child to the shrine's care in order to save her husband."

"Why tell me this!" Fuji demanded. "What good is it? Aren't you going to kill us all for your master's sake anyway!"

"Fool!" Wild Card shouted, breaking the struggle and slashing wildly at the apprentice. "I am trying to open your eyes! Do you not understand that this has all been a trap? Gateau Ari is a servant of Raijin as well!"

"What?" Yuki exclaimed upon hearing Wild Card's statement. "Is this true, Ari?"

Tears streamed down the tenant's face. "I'm sorry, everyone. If there were any other way . . ."

"Any other way?" Takashi questioned, attempting to hold back his anger. "You mean to tell me that you took us in so that Raijin would know where we are? Just what kind of person can-"

"Gomen." Ari sobbed. "Gomen nasai."

"Screw this." Takashi growled, rising to his feet. "This duel is jacked; Fuji shouldn't even have to fight for the likes of you. It's high time that I taught this Wild Card who he's dealing with!"

Fuji's battle with the assassin had come full-circle, back toward the entrance to the mansion. Takashi had almost made it into the fray when Megumi let out an earsplitting scream. Both Yuki and the ronin turned in surprise as the former kunoichi doubled over, seemingly in pain.

"Megu?" Yuki questioned. "Are you okay?"

"_Yamete_!" Megumi shouted wildly. "Stop! Please! Stay away!"

The screaming stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Megumi calmly rose to her feet and straightened her hair.

"Megumi?" Takashi asked tentatively. "What the heck is the matter?"

"Don't worry." Megumi smiled. "Go help Fuji before it's too late."

"Got it." Takashi responded, turning again for the battle.

Yuki continued to search for a sign of weakness in the assassin, Wild Card. She was paying so much attention to the battle that she didn't even see Megumi draw a tanto from within her dark blue gi.

"Poor Takashi," Megumi whispered, taking aim at the ronin's backside. "It's already too late!"

Yuki heard the last part of the phrase just in time to shout out a warning.

"Taka-kun! Abunai!"

>>>

"Here," Jiro said as he offered a steaming mug of tea. "This should calm your nerves."

Noriko accepted grudgingly, pulling her brown cloak tighter to her body as she sat on the trunk of a fresh-fallen pine tree. Her other hand toyed with the her father's necklace, the jeweled surface turning end-over-end in her fingers.

"If what you say is true," she reasoned. "My father had the right eye of Amaterasu's Mirror in his possession ever since it was stolen."

Jiro smiled. "Kind of questionable, isn't it?"

Noriko shook her head. "I know he didn't steal it though. We lived in Mutsu Province, and he never left for an extended period of time. He was never anywhere near Ise Province."

Jiro took a sip from his own mug as the small campfire he had constructed issued a loud crackle. "It's quite possible, then, that he simply got it from the original thief somehow."

Noriko stared intently at the flames. "In any case, that's not what I want to know. What happened between you and my father, and how did this necklace come into your hands?"

Jiro shrugged. "It's all kind of simple, really. I did some traveling around the Mizusawa area several months ago. I assume that's where you're from?"

"Yeah," Noriko answered simply. "Go on."

Jiro nodded complacently. "During a stop at the local tavern, I got into a scuffle with a drunken man who was apparently of some repute. As it turned out, he was a good friend of your father, who challenged me later that day. I sensed that he too was inebriated somewhat, so I went easy on him and simply gave him the same treatment I had to administer to you earlier this morning."

Noriko wrung her hands at the thought of attempting to remove her sword from that pine tree a few yards back.

"That was the last I saw of your father," Jiro continued. "Though I didn't notice this necklace on him. Thing is, the very next day I caught a ninja sneaking through the roadside shrubbery. He had this very necklace in his possession. When I recognized the jewel for what it was, I snatched it from him in order to return the Eye to its rightful place."

"This ninja," Noriko inquired, her eyes wide with recognition. "Is he the one who . . ."

"It didn't occur to me at the time," Jiro mused. "Since I didn't know who the necklace belonged to. However, now the solution seems like simple arithmetic."

Noriko bowed her head low. "Do you remember anything about the ninja?"

Jiro's eyes narrowed fatalistically. "Actually, I do. He wore a long red scarf and made sure to tell me his name, saying that I should remember it when I die by his hand. His name was Kumo, Shisho Kumo."

>>>

Takashi turned and raised his katana scabbard just as the tanto left Megumi's hand. The blade spun rapidly toward the ronin, who made a hasty block. The tanto twanged off the scabbard of The Greatness, but instead of simply falling to the ground, the force of the throw and the odd blocking angle caused the tanto to ricochet right toward the oblivious Fuji. The apprentice saw the spinning blade just a few seconds away. He didn't even have time to be surprised before Ari threw herself between Fuji and the tanto, which buried its length deep into her chest with a crunching squelch.

The entire group ceased their actions and stared in stupor at what had just happened. Wild Card was the first to react, however oddly.

"May?" he whispered just loud enough for Fuji to hear. "May!"

Wild Card clutched the sides of his head and began to yell hysterically, as if in severe pain. Yuki reacted quickly to the assassin's pain.

"Kamikaze-ken!"

The green-tinted blade rocketed out of Wild Card's grip and returned to its rightful owner.

Yuki turned toward Takashi. "Do it now, Taka-kun!"

The ronin had already sprung into action. Drawing The Greatness from its sheath in an effortless motion, he struck toward the assassin's body with a downward stroke. The katana cleaved open Wild Card's backside without so much as a sound. Blood had not even had the chance to issue forth from the wound before Takashi altered the direction of his strike and stabbed with all his might into the assassin's left shoulder. Wild Card howled in pain as blood sprayed from both wounds, however . . .

"Blue?" Takashi exclaimed. "Blue blood? What the hell?"

The assassin lashed out wildly with twin cards, nearly catching Takashi in the face. The ronin vaulted backward, allowing Wild Card to disappear into the foliage. Takashi paid no heed to the retreating assassin, immediately turning his attentions to Megumi. In fact, all eyes had turned on the former kunoichi.

"Megumi?" Fuji finally gasped, cradling the fallen Ari. "What is this? What the hell are you doing!"

Yuki leveled the newly retrieved Kamikaze-ken at the accused. "Answer him, Megumi!"

The former kunoichi simply began to laugh, at first snidely, then hysterically. "You-you people really are easy, you know that! Fooled both by the Iga and by Raijin? What a laugh!"

Takashi began to walk calmly toward the laughing girl. "Megumi, I don't understand what's going on here, but you need to be straight with us right now."

"Straight?" the former kunoichi leered from beneath hanging locks of hair. "Haven't you gotten it yet? I never left the Iga, you fools!"

"Impossible . . ." Fuji mouthed. "How could you have stayed with us for so long? How could you have been that convincing?"

Megumi looked toward the apprentice arrogantly. "That's my job, isn't it? In any case," the kunoichi pointed toward Takashi. "Your life is mine and mine alone to take. When you killed Izumi, you signed your own death warrant, ronin!"

Takashi was about to rush forward when Megumi detonated a smoke bomb and disappeared from view.

"Fuji?" Ari moaned softly, her lifeblood spilling out from the tanto wound over her sides and all over the apprentice's lap. It was as blue as the assassin's.

Fuji turned his face downward toward the woman slowly. "The assassin, he called you May. That's my mother's . . ."

"You're right." Ari coughed in reply. "My name was once May Pilazzo."

"This can't be . . ." Fuji sobbed. "Why? Why did you work for Raijin against us?"

Ari extended a frail hand toward Fuji's face, caressing his left cheek. "Fuji, I know you have questions, but I don't have much time left. Please, please just listen to what I have to tell you."

The apprentice nodded silently as Takashi and Yuki gathered around him.

Ari looked up toward the group, desperation in her eyes. "You all saw the color of Wild Card's blood, and mine as well. This is how Raijin controls his followers. He gets someone to drink of a foul liquid when he wants them as a servant. When the stuff gets into your system, there's no going back. Whenever he wears the mask of cursed bone, Raijin can control anyone who has partaken of the liquid he calls "Ryuketsu". This is how he was able to control my decisions. If it had been up to me, I would have never gone along with this, Fuji."

"Insane," Yuki mumbled. "To think that he's taken things this far."

"Our family was the one originally in possession of the liquid," Ari continued. "Found as it was at the Cape of Good Hope. Raijin contacted us with the intent to buy the urn that contained the Ryuketsu. We had no idea what we were dealing with. When we arrived at Ise Province, we were attacked. I took you in my arms and ran for the Ise Shrine. When I was sure that the monks would take care of you, I went back for Argus."

Tears continued to stream down Fuji's cheeks as the apprentice began to lose composure. "I thought . . . This is . . ." Suddenly, something important crossed his mind. "What about my sister? Wild Card mentioned that the Pilazzo family had a daughter."

Ari's eyes had begun to glaze over. "Daughter? Sister?"

Fuji's face had become red with grief. "Please, I have to know!"

Ari turned toward Fuji again, her eyes nearly blank. "She died, Fuji. Raijin killed her in the attack."

Fuji lost his control at that point, bursting into cries of anguish and hanging his head low, his tears dropping all over Ari's face and chest.

"Fuji?" the tenant whispered. "I know it's selfish, but can you do me one service?"

The apprentice barely managed a coherent answer. "Of course."

"Please, allow me to call you by your real name, the name your father and I gave you the day you were born."

Fuji simply nodded.

Ari smiled warmly as death took hold of her tortured soul. "You were always my son. Goodbye, Rafael."

Fuji collapsed over his mother's body, clutching at her limp arms and sobbing into her shoulder. Takashi simply placed a calm hand on the apprentice's back and stared off into the rising sun. It was true, no matter how far you run, or who tries to save you from it, the painful past will always catch up to you.

"No more running." Takashi muttered just loud enough for Fuji to hear. "No more retreat, for either one of us, Fuji."

(End Chapter Sixteen)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

daijoubu - literally means "safe" or "O.K.", but is often used in the same context as "don't worry".

yamete - an extreme version of the "stop" command. Not often used unless in dire and immediate peril.


	20. Clarity

Chapter Seventeen  
Clarity

>>>Midday - May 7, 1583

It was a little past noon in the forests of Mt. Gozaisho when Jiro finally put out the campfire. Noriko still couldn't quite believe what had been said earlier that morning as she returned from pulling her katana out of a very stubborn pine tree. Shisho Kumo, the ninja she had met in New Komo Town, was the one responsible for her father's murder? The fact that he was an Iga ninja only compounded the mystery. What had her father done to attract the attention of the Iga? Was it even official business?

"So," Jiro began as he gathered up his supplies. "I assume you'll want to go after the ninja now that you know what he's done."

"Of course." Noriko replied. "The fact that my father's murderer must pay for what he's taken from me has not changed, no matter who that turns out to be."

"Understandable." Jiro commented. "Everyone's got their own problems to deal with."

Something occurred to Noriko for the first time. "Wait, what are you going to do now? You mentioned earlier that you weren't part of that . . . Blood Oath, right? If that's true, then why are you here?"

Jiro smiled. "I was wondering when you'd ask that. Let me ask you something; who can defeat the High Yaen Master in a straight-on confrontation?" He gave Noriko time to give a quizzical look before continuing. "That's exactly right: no one, not even me. I joined his group and pretended to drink the Ryuketsu so that I could figure out a way to put a stop to whatever he's up to. As it turns out, whenever he's using that bone mask to actively control his followers, he has to split his concentration. The next time he does that in front of me, that'll be the time to strike."

"So that's it." Noriko concluded. "You're here to kill High Yaen Master Raijin. It doesn't make much sense though. What does Raijin hope to achieve?"

Jiro sighed heavily. "A long time ago, Raijin was a good man. No, a great one. Raijin tought Jeffy and I the skills we needed to survive in the world. He was someone of both lofty ideals and rock-solid practicality. Even now, he believes he's working for the salvation of Japan. However, something has clouded his vision. I'm not quite sure what just yet, but I'll find out when I confront him. I do know this much, though: the Raijin that Jeffy and I knew years ago would never have used something so insidious as the Ryuketsu."

Noriko looked downward. "How will you know when the time is right, or that it will even come soon?"

Jiro replied quickly. "The key is that other raiju, Hideaki. He's the only one out of Raijin's troupe that took the Ryuketsu willingly. I don't think there's a single drop of red blood left in him. Still, no matter how much control Raijin exerts over him, he can't control Hideaki's rage against that Ueda Takashi. Hideaki blames that ronin for everything bad that ever happened to him, and he won't rest until he's exacted his revenge. If Hideaki fights again, Raijin will have to actively exert control over him, and I'll be there to take advantage of it."

The Yaen Master suddenly drew his katana in a lightning-quick motion. "Of course, now that I've told you all this, I'll have to kill you."

Noriko took a moment to judge the intent in Jiro's eyes. "What? You can't be serious!"

The sword master continued to glare at Noriko for a few more seconds before bursting into a fit of laughter. "Ok, you got me, I'm not going to kill you. Still, I could use some practice if I'm going to go up against the High Yaen Master himself. Think you could spare a little time from your newfound 'Kumo Hunt' to spar with me?"

Noriko smiled and drew the Amatsuotome in cohesion with a cool gust of air from the south. "Ready when you are, Matsuda Jiro."

>>>Afternoon - May 8, 1583

Ueda Takashi sat cross-legged at the Yunoyama Onsen's dining room table, his hands folded under his chin and his elbows resting on the hard wood of the furniture. His eyes calmly followed Yamamoto Fuji as he continued to package supplies for his travel sack. The apprentice had kept himself busy for most of the day in this manner. In fact, Takashi was fairly certain that Fuji hadn't slept a wink since they had buried his mother yesterday evening.

"You know," Takashi commented. "We could, sort of, help you with that."

"No thanks." Fuji mumbled, his fresh white gi shifting with his overstated movements.

Takashi sighed heavily. "Come on, Fuji. Where are you going?"

"Simple." Fuji stated. "Raijin destroyed my family. Megumi betrayed us and killed my mother. I'm going to find them both and . . ."

"And what?" Takashi questioned flatly. "You think you can take on the High Yaen Master? You think you can even come close to the skill of a fully trained Iga ninja who already made a fool out of each and every one of us?"

Fuji stared intently at the table. "I understand that, but what am I supposed to do? If I don't confront them now, I may never have the chance again. Besides, I can't just run away from this!"

"I know." Takashi grumbled, rubbing his face in exasperation. "I know, ok? Look, all I'm saying is that we need to have a plan if we're going to do anything at all."

"A plan?" Fuji questioned as he lifted the gigantic Shinryo-ken onto the table and began to wrap it in cloth. "Listen, you guys don't have to come with me. Raijin and Megumi are my problem, and I'm the only one who can do anything about this sword, right? It makes sense that I should be the one to go."

Yuki suddenly entered from the stairway, carrying bedding material. "Don't talk like you're the only one with problems here, Fuji. Think about who you sound like right now."

Fuji stopped for a moment. He hadn't really thought about it in his constant flurry of activity, but his current course of action did seem strikingly familiar.

"You're right." he admitted, setting down the broadsword. "I do sound like Noriko. Has there been any sign of her?"

"Well," Yuki began. "Most of her travel stuff is still here, and her hat too. If she left, it must have been in a hurry."

"Probably going after that Jiro again." Takashi added. "Well, at least we took care of that Wild Card guy, but Noriko is still out there, and so is the guy who killed her father. We still don't know what happened to Jeffy-sensei either."

"Hideaki is still after Takashi's life." Yuki continued. "The ninjas are still here as well. Fuji, we're not going to get anything accomplished by splitting up now."

The apprentice looked down toward the table, his eyes shifting left and right uncomfortably. "Takashi, Yuki?" he questioned. "I trust you, ok? Thing is, I trusted Megumi just the same, and look what happened. It's not that I think you're going to betray me or anything, but I just don't know if I can keep going while depending on other people."

"You know what?" Takashi said, standing straight up. "You don't trust us. You don't trust us one bit to say something like that."

"What?" Fuji responded.

"You heard me." Takashi continued. "Think about what you just said. There's only two reasons that a person would be unwilling to depend on someone else. One is if they're just plain stubborn, like Noriko, and two is if they can't trust them. Since you don't come off as the stubborn type, it's easy to see where you're coming from."

"Look," Fuji replied, anxiety in his voice. "It's not that I don't want to, I just can't help it."

Takashi looked sternly toward the apprentice. "No way, I don't want to hear that from you. There's no such thing as a person who can't control the way they act toward other people. It's not that you can't help it, it's that you're afraid to make a decision." The ronin put a hand on the table and leaned toward Fuji. "Remember what I said yesterday? No more running. No more retreat; we don't have that luxury anymore. You need to decide now, Fuji. We want to help you out. We've got our own problems to take care of, but we don't want to see you die needlessly either."

"He's right, you know?" Yuki added. "Do you think that the time we've spent together means nothing? We helped each other out plenty of times already; what makes things so different now?"

Fuji looked down at his hands. "I just . . . I don't know what to do anymore. What are we anyway? Traveling companions? Partners in crime?"

"Heck no." Takashi smiled. "I thought we could be friends." The ronin extended a hand toward the apprentice. "A man doesn't become a warrior because of skill, he is called that because he has a reason to fight. In that sense, you're now as much of a warrior as any one of us. I can't trust someone who does things at a whim, but I can trust someone who's here for a reason, who's here to fight for a reason."

Yuki extended her hand toward the apprentice as well, smiling widely. "I don't want to see something bad happen to you, Fuji. You're a nice person, and there aren't that many people like you in the world. I know you want to deal with the people who screwed up your family, but don't let that become your life. We want to come with you, and we want you to come with us."

"Each of us has a good reason to go to the top of this mountain." Takashi continued. "Each of us values each other's life. Is there a better definition of friendship that you can think of?"

Fuji smiled and put his right hand together with Takashi's and Yuki's. "Okay then. We'll go together as friends."

Takashi used his left hand to press all of their hands together. "And we're coming back the same way, got it?"

"Yeah," Fuji responded. "All of us."

>>>

"Taroto-san!"

The elderly man leaned back toward the store entrance. "Nobumitsu-san? Is that you?"

The town guardian stood in the doorway to the grain store, his face contorted with worry. "Taroto-san, where do you keep my armor?"

"Armor?" the grain seller questioned. "Whatever would you need that for?"

"I'll explain in a minute." Nobumitsu answered. "Just show me where it is."

Taroto rose from his chair and entered the back storage room, removing a key from the top of a dusty shelf. The old man undid the latch on a large cabinet in back, exposing a set of samurai-style plated armor behind the doors.

Nobumitsu nodded in agreement and began putting on the outfit. "Last night, our library was again raided by that large raiju. I went to stop him once and for all, but he ran off for the woods as soon as he saw me. I chased after him, but he held Tomoe hostage in order to keep me at bay!"

"Tomoe!" Taroto exclaimed. "What was she doing there?"

Nobumitsu's eyes narrowed. "I think she was trying to go see those warriors up at the Yunoyama Onsen again. She wasn't happy with the way I took her from the onsen, but I didn't think she'd try to sneak up there on her own at night."

"So," Taroto began as Nobumitsu fitted the shoulder pads. "What now? Are there conditions? Threats? What do you need the armor for?"

"No conditions." the town guardian responded. "That raiju is a beast, but he didn't kidnap Tomoe just to get away from me. He has something else in mind, and I'm willing to bet that the rest of those cretins at the shrine are involved as well. I'm going to do the only thing I can do, put a stop to this nonsense right here and now. I'm taking Keichiro and Honda with me to rid our town of that cursed raiju and his fellow bandits."

Nobumitsu had just finished putting on the armor and was about to walk back out of the store when Taroto spoke up.

"Nobumitsu! Stay for a moment."

The town guardian turned. "What is it, Taroto-san? I must hurry."

Taroto looked toward the floor. "I know about Takashi's return, and Yuki as well. Tomoe told me everything. Also, the raiju who took Tomoe is Hideaki, is he not?"

Nobumitsu answered calmly. "Indeed, the three children you once cared for have returned from afar. However, they are not who they once were."

Taroto straightened. "Why did you not tell me yourself, Nobumitsu?"

The town guardian sighed. "I did not want to cause you grief, Taroto-san. They return only to bring trouble to our town, and I did not want you to think any worse of those outcasts than everybody else already does."

Taroto resumed his seat in a wooden chair. "Let me tell you something before you go, Nobu. The actions of Takashi, Yuki, and Hideaki are not a disappointment to me. Everyone must grow up one day, and so everyone must change. Some changes are for the better, some are for the worse, but everyone makes that choice. Hideaki's actions are inexcusable for now, but do not hate Takashi and Yuki simply because their choices are different than yours."

"Taroto-san," Nobumitsu sighed. "How easily can you brush aside what Takashi did eight years ago? Is there any excuse for-"

Taroto held up a skeletal hand that silenced Nobumitsu. "I know Takashi better than you ever will, Nobumitsu, and my opinions regarding that night have not changed. It may be a fault, but I will always believe in his good spirit, and Yuki's as well."

Nobumitsu nodded gravely. "I hope you are right, Taroto-san. Especially for Tomoe's sake."

>>>

It was sunset by the time that Takashi, Yuki, and Fuji finally left the Yunoyama Onsen. Scorching red rays of light cut through the pine trees and cast ethereal shadows on the lonely mansion. The three companions had cleaned and straightened everything inside thoroughly before they left, in memory of the generous tenant who had accommodated them, regardless of her true intent. From where they now stood at the edge of a trail leading toward the shrine, Fuji could just barely see the rudimentary tombstone they had erected for May near the misty cliffs where Noriko had trained.

"Well," Takashi said with a heavy sigh. "Let's get on with it."

As the ronin turned toward the forest, Fuji suddenly spoke. "Takashi?"

"Eh?" the ronin called back.

Fuji looked at the mansion wistfully as a bird twittered in the distance. "Do you think we'll ever see this place again?"

"I don't see any reason to." Takashi stated. "After all, we're not really welcome around New Komo Town as long as I'm with you."

"That's not what I meant." Fuji replied. "Will we ever be **able** to see it again?"

"What?" the ronin called back. "You think you're going to die or something?"

"Hey!" Yuki piped up. "No thinking like that anymore! You've got to keep optimistic from here on in, ok? We're not gonna run anymore, remember?"

"That's right!" Takashi laughed, giving Fuji a friendly slap on the back. "Let's get a move-on my good fellow! No more running for any of us!"

Fuji had just turned to follow suit with his companions when he heard a strange noise, something like a hoarse chatter. The apprentice turned around to see a strange animal following in his footsteps.

"Hey, Takashi?" Fuji questioned.

"_Nani kore_?" the ronin asked.

Fuji looked back again at the animal. "What is that following us?"

Both Yuki and Takashi turned around to see the strange-looking beast give another chattering noise.

"Oh," Takashi commented lightly. "A _tanuki_. They're fairly common in these parts, nothing to worry about."

Fuji couldn't stop looking at the animal as he continued walking. It was shaped somewhat like a dog, but the face seemed oddly rodent-like with its narrow snout and long whiskers. While its massive mane of fur was mostly silver-gray in color, certain sections were almost pitch black, such as a mask on the face,the ears, the legs, and rings on the tail. Its triangular ears twisted this way and that in response to small sounds in the underbrush, and it would shake itself thoroughly every now and then, almost as if something were giving it a serious itch.

"Geez," Fuji complained. "It's not going away."

"Just ignore it." Takashi advised. "It's not going to follow us all the way to the summit unless you feed it something."

When Fuji turned back around, the raccoon dog shot a sharp glare at Takashi.

_What makes you so sure about that, ronin? Now, what was that damn name again? Starts with a "C", I'm sure of it. Ca- Cai- Cait-something?_

(End Chapter Seventeen)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

nani kore - basically, "what is it?".

tanuki - as the text suggests, a raccoon dog. Once common in Japan, the raccoon dog is in truth a dog, yet it looks almost exactly like a raccoon. It is presently on the endangered species list due to overhunting.


	21. There and Back Again

Chapter Eighteen  
There and Back Again

>>>Evening - May 8, 1583

The last rays of sunlight were fading from the forest as Fuji, Takashi, and Yuki ventured ever higher along the winding trail. Takashi was occupied with using a lamp he had borrowed from the onsen to find a suitable campsite for the night while Yuki hummed a pleasant tune. Fuji, however, had finally relented to the pitiful whines for attention from the raccoon dog that had followed the group ever since their departure from Yunoyama.

Takashi looked backwards just in time to see Fuji give a piece of dried boar meat to the tanuki while patting its head. "Hey!" the ronin called back. "I thought I told you not to feed that thing!"

The apprentice faced Takashi and spoke apologetically. "I know, but she's just too cute to resist! It couldn't hurt to take her along for a while, could it?"

Takashi raised an eyebrow. "Her? How do you know it's a girl?"

Fuji looked honestly dumbfounded. "Um, I don't know, just kind of seemed that way to me."

"Oi." the ronin groaned. "I guess you can do whatever you want, but remember to take care of business."

Fuji nodded gravely. "There's no way I could forget."

"Now," Takashi mused, shifting the lantern left and right as he continued forward. "There has got to be somewhere to make camp around here that isn't on a slope." A low growl issued from the ronin's stomach, which he promptly rubbed. "Wish we were still at a lower elevation, then there'd be fresh meat to hunt."

Not even a moment after Takashi finished his sentence, Yuki dove straight into the underbrush. There were a few alarmed warbles and lots of rustling before the ronin and the apprentice heard an audible snap. Yuki emerged from the foliage covered in leaves, pinestraw, and feathers with a large quail lodged in her mouth, its neck broken in the struggle.

"You called?" she managed to mumble around the unfortunate fowl.

The raccoon dog hid behind Fuji with a low whimper.

Takashi grimaced for a moment as he rummaged through his travel bag. "Geez, Yuki. I hope you don't think that men find that kind of thing attractive." The ronin found what he was looking for, holding out a small burlap sack. "Put it in here; we'll eat it later."

"Attractive?" Yuki questioned, releasing the bird from her mouth and pulling stray feathers out of her teeth. "You wanted fresh meat, right? Didn't I get it for you?"

Takashi smiled halfheartedly. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

Yuki grinned mischievously upon finishing her work. "So, what're you trying to say? You don't think I'm attractive?"

Surprisingly, the ronin's face flushed bright red. "What? When did I say anything like that?"

Yuki giggled at the ronin's reaction. "Come on, Taka-kun; I'm only kidding! You do remember how to kid around, right?"

Takashi resumed his forward motion, slinging the quail sack across his back where it impacted slightly on the scabbard of the Shinryo-ken. "Of course, I knew that all along. We-we'd better get moving before it's too dark even for this lantern."

Fuji looked dejectedly at the ronin. "Who did he just tell to keep his mind on business?" he mumbled.

The raccoon dog chirped in agreement.

One or two hours passed by as the travelers continued up the trail without sighting a single suitable campsite. The sound of falling water could be heard in the distance as Takashi addressed the group.

"Well guys, we may end up having to camp in the middle of the road."

Yuki coughed. "I doubt it's even wide enough for that, unless you're willing to cuddle up real close, Taka-kun."

Takashi straightened visibly. "Hey, enough of that already!"

Amidst Yuki's chuckles of amusement, Fuji spoke up. "Takashi, Yuki?"

The ronin turned back. "What's up?"

"I've been thinking about something," the apprentice began. "About Megumi."

Takashi sighed heavily. "Let's face it, Fuji. She was an Iga for the entire time we knew her, and she played us like fools."

"That's just the thing." Fuji replied. "For instance, I can see how she would have faked all that stuff she said to us, and to a certain extent I can imagine how she presented an entirely false demeanor. Still, there are things that just don't fit."

"Like what?" Yuki questioned.

Fuji looked up toward the treetops, using his peripheral vision to keep his heading fixed on Takashi's lamp. "For instance, remember that time when we were attacked at the ramen bar in New Komo Town? Why would Megumi have saved you from that kunai if she wanted you dead?"

Takashi stopped for a moment in thought, but soon shook his head and continued walking. "That's easy; she just wanted to gain more of our trust."

"Was that necessary though?" Fuji inquired. "Think about it; she could have killed you in your sleep at any time and made her escape before anyone noticed. Why didn't she?"

This time, Yuki stopped and put a hand to her chin. "He's got a point, you know? She could have gotten away with that any one of those nights we made camp. Why make an attempt on your life when you were awake and fully armed?"

Takashi scratched the back of his head in exasperation. "Look, I'm not going to try to understand her motives here. Are you willing to excuse what she did at the onsen, Fuji? Are you going to forgive what happened to your mother?"

Fuji looked downcast. "Of course not, but I'm just saying that it doesn't make sense."

"Don't dwell on it." the ronin advised. "Thinking like that isn't going to help when we confront her."

"Is that so?" a familiar voice called out of the darkness.

Takashi turned the lamp forward on the path in surprise, quickly calming down when he identified the interloper. "Jeffy-sensei? Thank the kami!"

The sword master hobbled forward on his crutches in a more awkward manner than usual. "Thank someone. In any case, you guys are looking for a campsite, right?" Jeffy pointed toward the sound of falling water, which had gotten progressively louder over time. "There's a cave under that waterfall that should do well for the night. Follow me."

>>>Night - May 8, 1583

The waterfall that Jeffy had spoken of was massive and powerful, cutting a rock-laden scar into the side of the mountain before going underground several feet below. The trail led across a natural bridge in front of the deluge and back around to the south side of the mountain. A large cave lay hidden on that side under large swaths of foliage, some of which had been hacked aside by Jeffy upon his initial discovery of the place. It did indeed extend for quite some length, ending with a very wet raised section toward the back that opened toward the rear of the waterfall.

Moisture that had gathered on the ceiling dripped down at regular intervals, echoing across the cavern along with Takashi's footsteps as he whistled at his surroundings and cast lantern light all around.

"Man," the ronin commented. "I remember this place being a lot bigger."

"Huh?" Fuji commented as he swept the vines covering the entrance aside. "What do you mean, 'you remember'? You've been here before?"

"Ditto." Jeffy added. "You knew this was here?"

"Not exactly." Takashi returned. "I've only been here once before, and I didn't remember exactly where it was."

Yuki was the last to enter, hesitating slightly just before stepping in. "This is a place from our memory, though; I'm sure of it."

Fuji and Jeffy were left dumbfounded as Takashi and Yuki strode toward the back of the cavern. The lantern light revealed a previously unseen feature at the back of the cave, and it was quite a sight to behold. All across the rear wall of the cave were curious inscriptions in a foreign language, some of it even in pictographs. Below the wall laid a large pedestal bearing three deep grooves and another inscription, this one written in kanji. Yuki bent low and caressed the grooves, touching the Kamikaze-ken that had been sheathed in her obi.

"This is where Taka-kun, Hideaki, and I found the three blades eight years ago. The Shinryo-ken, Kamikaze-ken, and Ikazuchi-ken were all buried in this pedestal."

"The words below the space for the swords," Fuji inquired. "What do they say?"

Takashi bowed his head low. "I don't even have to look at it to tell you."

We who have watched over all the land since its very birth

Created, in the hour of our greatest sin, weapons your race would come to loathe.

Wind guides lightning across the sky and lightning strikes the earth.

Lightning, opposed as it is to the wood, creates the fire that consumes them both.

Fuji blinked for a moment, taking in what had just been said. "What exactly does that mean?"

Yuki shook her head. "We didn't even think about it at the time. After all, who has time to interpret ancient prophecies when there's great-looking blades to be had."

"Prophecy, hmm?" Jeffy mused as the raccoon dog entered, shaking water from the falls off of its fur. "How would you know that, Yuki?"

The raiju seemed surprised for a moment before responding. "It's written in the manner of the ancient raiju scribes, at least, according to what my brother said back then."

Jeffy began to look over the walls in the back. "Indeed. So, what about the rest of the inscriptions? Can you read them?"

"Me?" Yuki questioned. "Why would I be able to read that?"

Jeffy placed a hand over the symbols engraved into the walls. "This is the language of the raiju clans that inhabited this mountain for a short time about 40 years ago."

"What?" Takashi interrupted. "How do you know that?"

The sword master's eyes narrowed. "Raijin, the demon responsible for the chaos on this mountain, is a raiju, just like Yuki and Hideaki. During the time that Jiro and I trained under his tutelage, he received word via a messenger of his race that a civil war had taken place between the two remaining tribes of humanoid raiju. It happened somewhere far to the north, though humans never knew of it taking place; the elders of the tribes made sure to disguise the conflict properly."

"Whoa," Takashi again interjected. "If you knew all this, why didn't you tell us?"

Jeffy looked severely at his former student. "Do you expect an old man like me to remember everything whenever it's convenient? Only by seeing Hideaki and comparing the power of his chain to Yuki's sword did I remember."

Fuji raised his hand politely. "Why did that jog your memory?"

Jeffy sighed. "It's all on the walls here, or at least, what I can translate of it. When the war began to drag on, both sides created an enchanted weapon. The tribe of the mountains created the Ikazuchi-ken to control the power of lightning. The tribe of the forests, in turn, created the Kamikaze-ken, in hopes that the power of wind could curb that of lightning. With these weapons, the tribes nearly annihilated each other, leaving only a few scattered survivors to make their way to Mt. Gozaisho. At the end of it all, however, there was no one left who remembered how to destroy the enchanted blades." A curious look crossed the sword master's face before he continued, nearing the end of the inscriptions. "It is written here that a famous blacksmith arrived in the land at that point, and bore witness to the broken hearts of the survivors. With their help, he created this cave as a monument to the tragedy of the raiju, and secured the swords of lightning and wind into this pedestal to restrain their power."

"Swords of lightning and wind," Fuji echoed. "What about the Shinryo-ken?"

Jeffy seemed to have difficulty reading the last part, due to the fact that some of the symbols had worn off. "The blacksmith had originally traveled to this region in search of a way to seal the curse on an ancient broadsword which had come into his possession."

"Oh man," Takashi laughed. "You've got to be kidding me."

Fuji was dumbstruck, allowing the raccoon dog just enough time to sneak into his travel sack and swipe another piece of dried boar jerky. "You're saying that the guy who originally owned the Shinryo-ken came here to purify it, the same as us?"

Jeffy looked strangely confused. "Actually, I'm not too sure. Some of the text has worn off here because of the waterfall; its flow must have altered since the creation of the cave. There seems to be something pretty important here about a dragon and the 'potential' of something or other, but it might as well be an ancient raiju recipe for shrimp ramen, what with the blasted water having carved away the most relevant symbols. This stuff is difficult to interpret even with every symbol present."

"Well," Yuki surmised. "At least we know why the Shinryo-ken is so different from the other two swords."

"Kind of makes you wonder though," Fuji said, quickly shutting his travel sack upon finding his food stolen. "Where did Takashi's sword come from anyway?"

"Hayate . . ." Jeffy mumbled to himself as he felt the manner in which the symbols had been written. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Okay!" Takashi declared loudly, removing the dead quail from his travel sack. "That is **way** too much for my brain to absorb in one night. Anybody else's head feel like a fried egg? I say we cook the bird and think about all this tomorrow."

"Hey," Jeffy commented. "Where'd you get that?"

Yuki foofed another feather out of her mouth and grinned widely. "Thought I'd never get that one out."

Sparse laughter broke out at Yuki's strangeness just before Takashi and Jeffy began working on a fire. Fuji, however, remained quite distant from it all, questions playing on his mind seemingly at random. Just what was that giant sword that Takashi taken from Mt. Gozaisho eight years ago? Where did it come from? What about those two words that Jeffy had read to them? Dragon? Potential? What did those have to do with anything? The apprentice looked out into the rapid deluge of the waterfall. Was Noriko still out there somewhere? Fuji couldn't figure out for the life of him why he cared in the first place, but somehow, the thought of Noriko sleeping by herself, alone in the cold night, caused a lump to form in the back of his throat. Maybe if he hadn't opened his big mouth earlier, the swordswoman would still be with them, sharing the quail that was now roasting over the open flame.

Fuji buried his head inbetween his folded arms, bringing his legs in close. There was so much to figure out about what was going on, so much to take in all at once. So many questions without answers, so many answers without questions. So many people to worry about, and too little time to do anything about it. All that, on top of the worry that he might not survive to find all the answers, caused the apprentice's mind to become exhausted and quickly descend into the realm of slumber.

>>>

Noriko walked back out of the Yunoyama Onsen slowly, ascending the stone steps toward the cliffs above the baths. Moonlight shone strong upon the treeless area, giving the swordswoman a fairly decent field of vision, but this turn of good fortune did not make its impression upon her. Where had everyone gone? What had happened here?

Upon reaching the cliffs, Noriko received the answer to her question in the form of May Pilazzo's grave, standing like a lone sentry at the end of the cliff, watching over the onsen's lonely villa. Confused at first, Noriko looked at the crude inscription under the name May Pilazzo. It read, "also known as Gateau Ari, tenant to the Yunoyama Onsen".

Noriko put a hand to her mouth to stifle the sudden wave of nausea that overcame her entire being. "What the hell?" she wondered aloud. "What the hell happened here!"

(End Chapter Eighteen)


	22. Realize

Chapter Nineteen  
Realize

>>>Night - May 7, 1583

Pale blue moonlight shone brightly upon the forests of Mt. Gozaisho now that the clouds of early evening had parted, casting long shadows and illuminating the mist that continually enveloped the sloping land. The pounding noise of the waterfall echoed loudly in the sword cave, but Yuki had more or less tuned it out by now. The cooking fire burned slowly, still flickering a warm red light upon the sleeping figures gathered around its warmth. Yuki sat at the mouth of the cave, staring into the beautiful night sky that had continued to shine with a full moon for several days now. She shivered briefly just before Takashi draped his blanket around her shoulders. Yuki looked up toward the ronin in brief surprise as he moved to take a seat next to her.

Takashi grinned. "Can't sleep?"

The raiju pulled the cloak more tightly about her young form, her ears twitching left and right nervously. "Yeah, you could say that."

Takashi looked out toward the forest's many shades of aqua, giving a slight yawn in the process. "The summit can't be more than half a day's walk away. Can you believe that it's so close?"

Yuki looked toward the ronin strangely. "What? You mean the summit?"

Takashi shook his head, his black hair swaying in a slight breeze. "Everything will be settled tomorrow, one way or another. To be honest, I never thought I'd rid myself of the ghost of eight years ago. Now, I feel like I can face that part of me for the first time."

Yuki smiled. "I wonder what caused that change."

Takashi thought for a moment. "Good question. I guess its just how everyone's acted toward me lately. Fuji stood up for me, even when he found out what I'd done. I abandoned you and Hideaki eight years ago, and you still want to come with me." The ronin sighed. "I never thought I'd find people who can forgive someone's past so easily."

Yuki again glanced around uncomfortably.

Takashi took notice this time. "Hey, what's the matter?"

The raiju looked very downcast. "Taka-kun?"

The ronin gave off his brightest smile, which he often used to combat depression in others. "Yeah?"

Yuki's eyes narrowed. "Forgiving the past is one thing, but forgetting is impossible."

Takashi's hands went up in mock defense. "Hey, I wasn't saying that. I know that it would be too much to forget what happened . . ." Something occurred to the ronin. "Um, are you trying to say that you're still angry with me for running off back then?"

Yuki simply cast her gaze lower, burying the lower half of her face in arms crossed upon her raised knee.

Takashi's voice took a more serious tone. "It pisses me off so much sometimes, you know? When I think that I ran away and left my best friends to their fates, I can barely stomach it. It doesn't sound like me at all, not even back then. I wish I could say something, Yuki. I wish I at least knew why I did it, but I truly don't."

A tear made its way down Yuki's face that she quickly shook off. "I know, Taka-kun; that wasn't what I was talking about."

The ronin's eyebrows raised. "You weren't? What then?"

Yuki's voice became shaky upon her next statement. "How much do you remember about the night of the fire?"

Takashi looked upwards, his fists tightening at the memory. "I used to spend a lot of time thinking about it, trying to recall specifics, trying my hardest just to figure out what happened after what. Thing is, I can't remember anything beyond two facts; I caused the fire, and . . ."

Yuki gazed curiously at the ronin. "And?"

"You died." Takashi relented. "I was sure of it until you showed up on the way to Komo Town. I never could remember how, so I just assumed it was due to the fire. Still, I was certain about that much, at least, I thought I was." The ronin sighed heavily. "Doesn't seem to matter what I remember though; here you are just as you were on that night, appearance and all. I wonder if the world's gone crazy or if it's just me."

Yuki's face had taken on the utmost gravity. "Actually, you aren't far off when you say that I died."

"What?" Takashi questioned. "What do you mean by that?"

The ronin had never seen Yuki like this. Her entire body shifted with anxiety, her hands wringing constantly as if of their own accord. The raiju's soft white hair fell in locks over her reddening face as tears began to stream down her cheeks. To be honest, this was scaring Takashi. He could feel his skin crawling, almost as if he already knew what his friend was going to say.

"Yuki?" the ronin asked tentatively. "Is there something about that night you're not telling me?"

"I'm actually kind of jealous," the raiju tried to laugh. "How lucky would I be if I couldn't remember everything from that night?"

Takashi knew he would regret asking, but he strove onwards anyway. "What happened on the night of the fire, Yuki? What happened that I don't remember?"

Yuki calmed herself down a bit before answering. "When I got there, the town was already burning. Hideaki tried to keep me from getting hurt, telling me that you had gone insane or something, but I wouldn't listen." She cringed slightly, shivering despite the presence of the blanket. "You were near the center of the town, floating in midair."

Takashi recoiled visibly. "What the hell?"

Yuki continued, heedless of the ronin's surprise. "You were laughing at the top of your lungs, your eyes glowing a fiery red. There used to be days when I couldn't get that laugh out of my head; it sounded less like a laugh and more like the roar of a heartless beast. The Shinryo-ken was moving around you in circles, casting sheets of flame in every direction. The very air around you was burning with an intense red light; it was hard to even look at you straight."

"Can't be right . . ." Takashi mumbled with near incoherence. With Yuki's every word, memories began to flood back into his head like a tidal wave, even though they were more like nightmares. "It just can't be . . ."

"I tried to stop you." Yuki stated, her voice growing unstable. "I tried to call out to you, but you couldn't hear me. I tried everything I knew how to do, and then I tried to get you down."

The raiju fell deathly silent. Takashi wasn't sure he wanted to hear what happened next, but he asked regardless.

"What did I do when you tried to get me down?"

Yuki stood up, the moon outside casting a pale shade of blue across her young features. She dropped away the blanket that Takashi had given her and began to undo her obi. The ronin sat breathless as the Yuki turned away from him and let down the top part of her gi, revealing the smooth skin of her back. At least, most of it was smooth. A deep and jagged scar began at the top of her right shoulder and ran diagonally across to her lower left hip. This scar was by no means normal, however. There was evidence that the initial cut had never healed properly, resulting in a jagged furrow of white, deadened skin traced by deep red bruises that arced at strange angles, almost as if something or someone had been fighting desperately to close the wound, inflicting more damage in the process.

Tears sprung unbidden from Takashi's eyes as a heavy piece of his broken memory locked into place. "Oh no . . ." he moaned, terrified of himself, of what he had done. "No, no that can't be right. That's not . . . Why would I have . . ."

Yuki kneeled, bringing the wound of her back closer to the ronin. "I said the same thing," she sobbed. "Every day afterwards, all I could tell myself was how impossible that night was. Hideaki said that, even though I was half-demon, a wound like that should have killed me on the spot."

"That's why," Takashi continued, his voice breaking constantly. "That's why I left; I thought I had murdered you. What was there to return to? Who would take me in after that?" The ronin's eyes stretched wide as all the feelings he had locked away at that time burst forth. He clutched his sides and sobbed wildly, wishing with all his might that it was somehow untrue, that he wasn't the kind of monster that would do this to his friends.

Without turning around, Yuki took hold of Takashi's hand, guiding it to her back. The ronin recoiled for a moment, but Yuki did not let go.

"Trust me." she whispered.

The ronin allowed the girl to place his hand on the scar. He could feel the impression made by the blade, its deep cut still evident after all this time. The very sensation churned Takashi's insides with great ferocity, causing a heavy lump to form in the back of his throat as well.

"How could I, Yuki?" the ronin cried. "How could I do this!"

"You have to answer that question." Yuki replied. "Think about it; would you do this to me again? Would you take hold of the Shinryo-ken and-"

"Never!" Takashi interrupted. "I would sooner die!"

Yuki smiled through her tears. "Then you have your answer. If you are the same Takashi that was my friend eight years ago, then you couldn't have wounded me."

"What?" the ronin questioned. "That doesn't make sense; the scar is right here."

Yuki shook her head. "I know it's difficult to say, but nothing about what happened that night fits with who we both know you to be. It took time, but I came to that conclusion on my own long before I set off to find you again. The wound on my back is irrevocable; I know that it was inflicted by the Shinryo-ken. However, I also know that you would never do that to me. If both of these things are true, then only one solution remains; there was another factor involved."

"Another factor?" Takashi wondered, beginning to calm down at last. "There was no one else there; how could we even begin to find out-"

"Hideaki." Yuki interrupted, turning around after pulling her gi back into place. "He was there before me; he was there when the fire started. I couldn't get the truth out of him before he left to find High Yaen Master Raijin, but he knows exactly what happened to cause the fire of eight years ago. Tomorrow, we'll find out the whole truth, together."

"What if there's nothing to excuse what I did?" Takashi questioned. "What if I really am a monster?"

Yuki moved forward a bit, her motive unclear for just a moment before she took hold of the ronin, hugging him fiercely. "You can't doubt yourself like that, Taka-kun. Hold onto the truth, that you're the kind of person who would never do that to his friends. Hold onto that truth no matter what."

"I'm sorry," Takashi couldn't help but apologize. "I'm so sorry, Yuki . . ."

A loud yawn suddenly issued from the back of the cave. The ronin and the raiju split apart like lightning just as Fuji rose from his blanket and walked toward them.

"H-hey there, Fuji!" Takashi greeted with more cheer than was neccesary. "What's happening?"

The apprentice looked toward Takashi as if he were still half-asleep. "Gotta pee."

Yuki nearly busted out laughing as Takashi responded to the situation. "Well, heed nature's call there, good buddy. Plenty of woods to do you business in over thataway."

"_Arigato_." Fuji mumbled, shuffling his way past his companions and trudging off into the forest.

Takashi and Yuki watched him go for a few moments before Takashi stood up, stretching his arms. "Well, I'd better get some rest. Don't want to head into tomorrow the same way Fuji is now, eh?"

Yuki rose with him. "Be careful, Taka-kun. Don't let Hideaki use what happened eight years ago to defeat you. Remember that there will always be at least one person who still believes in the real you."

Takashi grinned widely, even though traces of tears still showed on his face. "Don't even worry about it; I'm the student of the great Jeffy-sensei! I have only to remember his greatest lesson: when you find yourself in doubt, drink sake until it all makes sense again!"

"Yeah," Yuki chided. "So where are you going to find any of that between here and the summit?"

>>>

Raijin turned back toward the steps leading to the Shinto shrine. "You'll understand, of course, if I find your request highly unusual. Why would one such as yourself wish to cooperate with us?"

Megumi grinned devilishly in the light cast by Hideaki's torch. "In the end, we want a lot of the same things. Take, for instance, your boy Hideaki over here. He wants Takashi dead, right?"

"More or less." the chain-wielder remarked offhandedly. "There is far more to it than that, however."

"Hey," Megumi interrupted, noting Kumo's uneasiness in the presence of these raiju. "I really don't care about what you guys' ultimate motives are. As far as I'm concerned, you can just keep that to yourself. The important thing right now is whether we can work together or not."

"I caution you, Megumi." Kumo stated. "This is not in alignment with the orders from the Ninja Master. We walk dangerous ground in asking for outside assistance."

Megumi waved a hand at her anxious partner. "I'm sure that Hikari would understand, Kumo. After all, to keep pace with an ever-changing battlefield, one must be willing to alter their strategy."

"So," Raijin resumed. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Simple," Megumi began. "You said that the greatest worry of this battle will be the Shinryo-ken in Ueda Takashi's possession. If that's the case, then we need to separate him from his companions and pull him into a trap. You still have that girl Tomoe, right?"

Hideaki simply nodded.

The kunoichi smiled. "Use her to force Takashi into battle; believe me, he'll be more than willing to fight alone for the sake of a hostage. In the meantime, Kumo and I will handle the ronin's entourage."

"What about Anakouji Jeffery?" Kumo questioned. "Even at our skill level, I don't think we'd be a match for his prowess."

"Not to worry." Raijin explained. "Hideaki has seen to a bit of insurance against our dear friend Jeffy and his incessant need to interfere with our battles."

"Even so," Kumo continued. "That leaves three combatants that Megumi and I must deal with."

"Combatants?" Megumi scoffed. "I can understand if you're talking about Itagaki Noriko and that Yuki girl, but Fuji is by no means a 'combatant'." The kunoichi flashed a pair of custom-made tantos, their blades tinted a dark shade of orange. "He will not even survive past the first few seconds; I'll make sure he doesn't even get the chance to use that damned fan of his."

"Very well." Raijin concluded. "We accept your assistance in this matter."

"Just remember," Megumi interjected. "When the time comes for the ronin to die, I must witness it."

Hideaki grasped his chain tightly. "No need to worry about that. The ronin's death will not come until he begs for it."

The two raiju moved back up the shrine steps as the ninjas made their way back toward the woodland. Kumo was the first to speak.

"This is madness, Megumi. These raiju are far from trustworthy; we cannot turn our backs to them once the battle begins. I sense that this Raijin is not one to simply let such cooperation go by without payment."

"Don't worry about it, Kumo." Megumi laughed. "We're of the Iga Clan, remember? We'll be long gone before that old geezer even has the chance to betray us."

Kumo looked toward the ground as Megumi continued in front of him. "You've changed, Megu. Revenge has blinded you to the truth." he mumbled.

Megumi turned back for a moment. "Hmm? You say something?"

Kumo shook his head. "Nothing, Megumi. Nothing at all."

>>>

Fuji was finally beginning to awaken fully as he made his way back to the cave. He had seen Takashi and Yuki talking, but only snatches of the conversation had made it through the fog enveloping the apprentice's brain. Something about that fire eight years ago, that was all Fuji could remember about that. Takashi had looked kind of upset, but Fuji figured it was best to leave that business between those who had experienced it.

Of greater import to the apprentice at the moment was remembering every detail of what he had dreamed under the waterfall. The visions that he had seen at the Grand Ise Shrine came back to him, and Fuji struggled dutifully to remember every detail. Not that they made any sense, even now. What in the world could a boy crying in the middle of a burning village with a great sword at his feet have anything to do with-

The apprentice stopped in midstride. Why hadn't this occurred to him before? A burning village, a boy, and a great broadsword?

"Takashi." Fuji muttered. "Ueda Takashi is the boy in my first vision!"

"What vision?" a voice asked from behind.

The apprentice turned quickly to identify the source of the voice. "Noriko?"

Fuji and the swordswoman stood face to face, an uncomfortable silence resting on the air.

"So," Noriko commented. "What were you talking about?"

Fuji cocked his head to the side as the raccoon dog emerged from the cave some distance away. "Never mind that; what are you doing here? In fact, where were you when we were attacked at the mansion?"

Noriko looked toward the ground. "I saw Ari's tombstone, but what was with that name? May Pilazzo?"

Fuji folded his arms akimbo. "May Pilazzo was her real name, just like mine is Rafael Pilazzo."

Noriko raised an eyebrow. "What? How do you have more than one name?"

Fuji sighed. "A lot happened while you were out on a field trip. Why've you come back, anyway? Thought you didn't want to have anything to do with a bunch of 'incompetent tagalongs'."

Noriko wrung her hands nervously. "Look, I didn't mean to leave you guys alone. Jiro showed up before dawn, and I chased him off into the woods. I didn't get the chance to return before-"

"Stop making excuses to me." Fuji interrupted. "You don't have to justify your actions to people you don't care about. Let me ask again, why are you here?"

Stress became evident in the swordswoman's voice. "I need your help with something."

Fuji raised an eyebrow as the raccoon dog came alongside him, nuzzling his left leg. "Our help? You need our help? That sure is interesting."

"I'm sorry, okay!" Noriko suddenly blurted out. "I was being a real bitch, just like you said. I took out my frustration at losing to Jiro on you guys, and you didn't deserve it, so I'm sorry, alright?"

Fuji smiled disarmingly. "Yeah, you pretty much summed it up."

Noriko shook her head and looked toward the ground again, her raven hair swaying left and right. "I understand if you don't want to help me. I've been downright ungrateful from the get-go. But this isn't about me, it's-"

Fuji placed a hand on Noriko's shoulder; the woman hadn't even seen him approach. "Hey, no worries, okay? You apologized, and that's that. So, what do you need our help with?"

Noriko looked strangely at the apprentice. "Huh? You'll forgive me just like that?"

Fuji again gave that oddly warm smile. "Of course. All you did was let your emotions get the better of you. If people never forgave me for all the times I've done that, I'd be fresh out of friends! Still, if you're going to ask for everyone's help, you might want to wait till morning; I think they may have gone to sleep."

"Actually," Noriko began to admit. "I don't need everyone's help. Just yours."

"Mine?" Fuji questioned. "What could you need me for?"

The swordswoman blushed. "I just . . . I need you to come with me, alright?"

"That might be a problem." Jeffy's voice called from just up the path.

"Jeffy-sensei?" Fuji wondered. "You're up too? What about Takashi and Yuki?"

Jeffy shrugged. "Falling asleep as I left, but their talking woke me up. By the way, it's good to see you alive and well, Noriko."

Noriko nodded. "Same here."

"Now," Jeffy began. "About taking Fuji away, I don't think that would be advisable at this time. I know that hormones run fierce through the blood of you young people, but there'll be plenty of time after-"

Noriko blushed even more profusely. "It's **not** like that, you dirty old man! I really need his assistance with something."

Jeffy raised an eyebrow. "What kind of something?"

The swordswoman's eyes narrowed. "Something that can help when we go up against Raijin and Hideaki tomorrow."

Jeffy folded his arms. "Sounds kind of suspicious; how long would it take?"

"I'm not exactly certain," Noriko responded. "But we'd be sure to meet up with you guys by noon tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Fuji questioned. "What could possibly take that long?"

"Just go along with me on this." Noriko pleaded. "I'm sure that I can help out with a little preparation."

Jeffy thought on it for a moment. "Well, I've been given no reason to mistrust your abilities thus far." He turned to address the apprentice. "Fuji, you should go with her. That is, as long as she knows where the shrine is."

"I do, actually." Noriko added. "Jiro told me how to get there."

"Jiro?" Jeffy questioned. "I thought he was with Raijin."

"So did I," Noriko replied. "Apparently though, not only did he not murder my father, but he's on our side. When you guys get to the shrine tomorrow, he'll be ready to take out Raijin himself."

"Whoa." Fuji commented. "Are you sure we can trust this guy?"

Noriko shrugged. "According to him, we don't have much of a choice. He's the only one who can even hold a candle to Raijin's skill."

"Probably true." Jeffy mused. "Looks like the better part of this battle will be riding on a lot of fragile trust."

"Better that than none," Noriko commented. "So, you ready to go, Fuji?"

The apprentice looked down at the purring raccoon dog. "Don't see any reason why not. Keep an eye on Takashi and Yuki for me, okay Jeffy-sensei?"

The old man grinned. "Won't be my first time babysitting."

"Let's get a move on, then." the swordswoman said, shouldering her travel sack and straightening her katana. "The sooner we get this done, the more certain we can be that, one way or another, we will win this fight."

(End Chapter Nineteen)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

arigato - basically, "thank you".


	23. Confess

Chapter Twenty  
Confess

>>>Morning - May 8, 1583

The trees of the forest had become less dense at higher altitudes, allowing brilliant golden rays of sunlight to cascade across the slopes of the mountain. The light so starkly contrasted with the shadows of the trees that motes of dust could be seen in the air at sparse intervals. The trail to the summit had also become clearer, now almost completely devoid of the undergrowth that covered the rest of the forest floor. Strong yet infrequent gusts of wind also blew flower petals of various colors through the air. Takashi couldn't identify any specific species, not that it really mattered anyway. There were far more important things at hand.

"It still doesn't make much sense," the ronin commented as he, Yuki, and Jeffy walked the trail at an even pace. "What exactly did Noriko want with Fuji? Why would she want to help us out? I thought she was dead-set on finding her father's murderer."

Jeffy shrugged. "Apparently, the fact that Jiro wasn't the one responsible shook up her priorities a bit."

Yuki grinned. "Or shifted them back into place, depending on your perspective."

"Even that seems weird," Takashi continued. "Why would she take that guy's word for it? Doesn't sound like the Noriko I know."

"It's quite possible to spend a lot of time with someone and still not know a thing about them." Jeffy remonstrated.

"Oh yeah?" Takashi remarked. "Well, nuts to that, I say. If you're not gonna be up front about who you are to begin with, then why even bother?"

"People have their reasons." Jeffy replied. "Besides, if you could know everything about someone from the moment you met them, where would the adventure of finding out be?"

"Hmm," Takashi mused. "You kind of have a point there, but it still doesn't tell me what she has in mind for Fuji. Why him?"

Yuki raised a hand needlessly. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's a Shinto apprentice."

The ronin raised an eyebrow. "You think so? Still, what use would she have for that?" Takashi thought hard for a moment before presenting his next theory. "Maybe they're getting 'business' done, if you know what I mean."

"Oh boy," Yuki groaned. "It sure doesn't take a lot to understand your priorities, Taka-kun."

"Damn straight." Takashi nodded, looking around for something else to talk about. "Hey, Jeffy-sensei?"

The sword master cast a backward glance. "Yo."

The ronin pointed toward a jug that had been slung about Jeffy's waist. "Where did that come from? Is that a sake jug?"

"Bingo." Jeffy confirmed. "I've had it in my travel sack all along; didn't think it too wise to carry something like this out in the open all the time."

"Aw, come on." Takashi moaned. "You've had sake all this time and didn't share the love? What's the deal?"

Jeffy smiled at his student's ignorance. "Actually, I haven't had any either. This is special sake that only one person can drink."

Yuki cocked her head to the side. "Who?"

"It's a tradition," Jeffy explained. "Though really, I guess you'd say it's more of a promise. When Jiro and I completed our training under Raijin and attained the title of 'Master', our sensei presented each of us with a jug of sake identical to one that he had always carried with him. Every Yaen Master keeps one with him when heading into battle, with the promise that the first drink from it would belong only to a swordsman who could best any one of us in combat. Since I've never been defeated, it's never been opened."

"Whoa," Takashi mused. "You're not trying to jinx us or anything, right?"

Jeffy sighed. "The battle before us is unlike any I have encountered. There's no telling who may end up as friend or foe, and I am more uncertain than ever as to my own fate. Still, it is not a matter that concerns you, young Takashi." The sword master stopped at an inexplicable fork in the path, pointing to the left. "The shrine is this way. I suggest you two get a move on and stop worrying about an old man like me."

"Huh?" the ronin questioned. "Why can't you go with us? We could definitely use your help, sensei!"

Jeffy smiled, pulling aside part of his hakama to reveal a spot on his lower right hip that had become soaked with blood. A bandage had been applied, but the wound looked crippling nonetheless.

"Oh no!" Yuki exclaimed upon seeing the injury. "Are you going to be okay, Jeffy-san?"

The sword master retied his obi to straighten the hakama. "Like I said, it's nothing for you to worry about. An injury like this won't kill me, but if I were to go with you two, I'd just get in the way. All I'm doing is positioning myself where I'll be most useful to this confrontation."

Takashi sighed heavily, surrendering to his sensei's reasoning. "If you say so, Jeffy-sensei. Still, are you sure you'll be alright?"

Jeffy grinned and gave the ronin a sharp clap on the back. "You sound just like an old maid, Takashi. A man's problems are all his own; you just worry about taking out Hideaki. By the way, you do remember where to meet with Noriko and Fuji, right?"

The ronin searched his memory. "A hollow grove just east of the shrine location? Will it be obvious enough to recognize?"

Jeffy nodded. "According to the villagers' description, it should be." The sword master shifted forward on his crutches and took the path to the right. "Okay then, I'd best be off. Best of luck you two, and fear not! When the action heats up, I'm sure to be there!"

Takashi raised a hand in farewell. "Better keep to that promise, old man!"

Yuki waved to the departing figure. "Take care, Jeffy-san!"

The ronin and the raiju watched the sword master disappear into the foliage before Takashi turned to the road ahead. "You ready, Yuki?"

The girl nodded cheerfully. "Born ready, Taka-kun!"

>>>Night - May 7, 1583

"Whoa," Noriko commented in response to Fuji's summary of the events that had transpired in her absence. "So, do I call you 'Rafael' now?"

"I thought about that," Fuji responded as he continued to follow the swordswoman deeper into the woods. "Still, you guys know me as 'Fuji', so we'll stick with that for now."

"That makes sense," Noriko responded. "At least it explains your hair. So what are you anyway, Portugese?"

"Half," Fuji corrected. "Half Portugese, half English. That's how Wild Card put it."

Noriko put a hand to her chin. "Come to think of it, how did that guy know so much about you?"

Fuji looked surprised, as if he hadn't thought of that question before. "That is kind of funny, isn't it? He said that he'd come across the information in his travels."

"Oh yeah?" Noriko questioned. "From who, Raijin? He's got to be more involved than that." The swordswoman gave the matter a little more thought before continuing. "Hey, we know what happened to your mother and your sister, right? Did he say anything about your father?"

"No," Fuji replied. "Why?"

Noriko stopped. "What if he's your father?"

Fuji halted in his advance as well. "That . . . that's just not something I want to think about right now."

The swordswoman resumed her former pace. "Yeah, no kidding."

"So," Fuji began as he began walking alongside Noriko. "What is it that you need my help with anyway?"

Noriko sighed. "Once, there was this vicious female assassin. She wasn't aligned with any of the ninja clans, and she didn't work for money. Quite simply, she lived for the thrill of the kill and for the improvement of her own already inhuman skills. Eventually though, she became a wanted criminal in the southern provinces. Have you ever heard of such a person?"

"No," Fuji replied, slightly confused. "What has this got to do with-"

"Let me finish." Noriko interrupted. "When the huntress became the hunted, it curbed her insatiable bloodlust. In an effort to escape her brutal lifestyle, however, she was near beaten to death not far from my hometown of Mizusawa. A farmer found her and brought her back to health. They married, and lived a happy life until the farmer's death, or so I heard. In any case, the woman I speak of is now called Hotaru. I don't know her previous name, since she never told me. Hotaru was the one who taught me how to survive in the wilderness and wield a sword in the Hitora style."

Noriko held out a parchment scroll. "Near the end of my training, she gave me this scroll, saying that it was one of the forbidden sword arts she had collected in her travels. Supposedly, it has the power to increase one's physical prowess far beyond its natural limits. It goes by the name '_Kenji-seijin_'."

"Awesome," Fuji stated. "Still, what use am I for something like that?"

Conversation stopped for a moment as the pair reached a pool in the forest, illuminated in a light shade of blue by the intense moonlight. Fireflies flitted through the air around the startlingly clean water, giving the scene an atmosphere of mysticism.

Noriko sighed heavily and began unwrapping the scroll. "Basically, the technique is done through o-fude writings. I assume that you're familiar with them."

"Of course." Fuji responded helpfully, patting his calligraphy pouch. "So, what kind of writings are we talking about? For magical purposes, there are two types, you know?"

"I've heard about that," Noriko commented, sitting down on a rock that overlooked the pool. "What were they called again?"

Fuji smiled as he took a seat next to the swordswoman. "There are some really complicated words for them, but I like to call them 'seal' and 'break'. A seal corrects imbalances in the natural order, and a break, of course, bends or breaks the rules of the natural order. Normally, the break o-fude are reserved for high-level priests, but given instructions, I could probably execute one."

"Better be more than 'probably'," Noriko cautioned. "I've also heard that o-fude can have adverse effects if done in even a **slightly** incorrect manner."

"I can handle it," Fuji commented nonchalantly, pulling out his brush pen and ink. "It's one of the few things I do really well as an apprentice priest. "So, where do I place the paper charms for this? Is it some sort of circle formation?"

To the apprentice's surprise, Noriko began to blush rather heavily, handing him the opened scroll. "Actually, this doesn't involve paper."

Fuji gulped upon glancing over the instructions for the Kenji-seijin. "Um, these o-fude have to be written on the body?"

Noriko unconsciously pulled her clothes more tightly about her. "Look, I'm not exactly ecstatic about it. Just tell me that they don't have to be put anywhere too scandalous, okay?"

Fuji read over the sheet carefully, pointing to different spots on Noriko's form. "Well, let's see. "One on the forehead, one on each shoulder, one on the back of each hand . . ." The apprentice paused, hoping he wouldn't have to read the last two off. "One on the side of each thigh . . ."

Noriko's face practically glowed red. "What! There's no way!"

Fuji gulped again, pointing to a spot about one inch below the swordswoman's clavicle. "And one here."

Noriko wrapped the brown cloak tightly about her, shaking her head fitfully. "Oh boy. Oh boy. I knew it. I knew it would be like this . . ."

Fuji scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, I can't really do anything about it. This was originally intended to be used on men, you know?"

"I know." Noriko responded, attempting to calm her nerves. "I know, okay? Let's just . . . let's just do this."

The swordswoman had already removed her cloak and begun to undo her kimono when Fuji touched her hand to make her stop. Noriko flushed heavily at the contact.

"Hey, no need for that yet." Fuji stated, trying his hardest to maintain a cool attitude despite the fact that he could already feel the blood rushing to his head again. "I'll do the other ones first, okay?"

Noriko simply nodded. Fuji positioned her head correctly so that she could hold the position for a while before setting to work on the girl's forehead with his ink brush. Noriko found it very hard to sit still due to the strange sensation of being written upon. She began to squirm involuntarily.

"Keep very still." Fuji cautioned, careful to keep his hand steady. "I have no idea what will happen if I screw up."

"Hai." Noriko responded simply.

Time passed slowly for the swordswoman, the only sounds in the pool area being the slight ripples in the water and the incessant chirping of hidden crickets. After Fuji finished the o-fude on her forehead and began to work on her right hand, she felt the need to impart something to the apprentice.

"Hey, Fuji?"

"Yeah?" the apprentice responded, concentrating hard on his work.

Noriko sighed. "I never did thank you for saving my life back in Old Komo Town."

Fuji smiled. "Don't mention it; it's no big deal."

"Of course it is!" Noriko exclaimed, doing her best not to move. "I would have died at the hands of that raiju if you hadn't stepped in when you did. Don't tell me that that's not a big deal!"

"Okay, I won't." Fuji replied. "I just thought you were the kind of person who didn't like to be indebted to other people."

"In a way," Noriko began. "I guess that's true. Still, I'm not as cold a person as I've been acting toward you guys recently."

"Oh?" the apprentice responded curiously, moving to her left hand.

Noriko looked upwards. "I never wanted to be here, you know? Do you think I actually enjoy hunting down my father's murderer and acting out the part of a cold-blooded avenger?"  
"If you don't enjoy it," Fuji surmised. "Then why act like that?"

Noriko sighed. "I just wanted this part of my life to be over. Hotaru did more than train me in the ways of the sword, Fuji; she taught me what it means to be a woman. Before then, I'd wanted to be exactly how you see me now. After seeing what kind of person Hotaru was, though, I don't think I want this lifestyle anymore. If I continue along the path of the blade, I'll never become a serene and peaceful person like her. If I kill for a living, I'll never become a real woman." Noriko paused for a moment as a tear streamed down her cheek. Fighting terribly against the urge to brush it off, she asked of the apprentice, "Do you understand?"

Fuji nodded slowly, reaching up and brushing away the tear for her. "I can relate to something like that. Still, you don't need to worry about it so much."

"Huh?" Noriko inquired. "What do you mean by that?"

The apprentice smiled knowingly as he finished with her left hand. "Ever since I met you, I've admired you as a woman and nothing less. You've got to be doing something right, eh?"

Noriko smiled in return, unfurling the top of her kimono. "Arigato, Fuji."

>>>Morning - May 8, 1583

It was nearing midday when the air became noticeably thinner to the ronin and his companion. They really hadn't said much to each other since Jeffy had split off down a different path, leaving an uncomfortable silence hanging over the two travelers. It was Takashi who first sighted the end of the path, represented by a half-rotted Shinto _torii_, bereft of any markings that had once adorned its burnished crimson surface.

"Hold up," the ronin whispered, motioning for Yuki to halt. "Isn't that the shrine entrance?"

Beyond the ruined gateway, a long series of stone steps curved its way through the trees until it became completely enveloped in forest cover some distance up. The once well-kept passage had become overgrown with moss and weeds, but it still most definitely led to a structure of some sort.

Yuki nodded. "That's got to be it. So, which way is the treeless grove from here?"

The wind became very intense as the ronin began to judge the direction of the group's meeting place. Strangely enough, the strong breeze carried a cascade of golden flower petals through the trees and across the open path. Yuki reveled in the sight; it was something she hadn't seen since she'd left home eight years ago.

"Narcissus flowers?" she wondered aloud. Somehow, the flowers seemed very important. They must have bloomed in early April, but why fall apart so soon?

"Flowers?" Takashi questioned, still attempting to discern a passage to the east.

The yellow petals were taking up more and more of the Yuki's vision. They seemed to dance as brilliant lights upon black water, whirling and circling about the young raiju like a wind funnel of brilliance. She giggled slightly and extended her hand outward to catch some of the petals. Suddenly, the black water and blue sky turned deep red. Anger? Hatred? What was this awful feeling that made the narcissus petals go away?

_Oh no_, Yuki thought, suddenly finding her vocal chords useless. _It can't be . . ._ _not . . . yet . . ._

Takashi turned immediately in response to the sound of Yuki's body slumping over and hitting the dirt with a dry thud. The ronin skidded to her side, gently shaking her unconscious form.

"Yuki? Hey, Yuki! What's the matter? Say something!"

The raiju slowly opened her eyes, her ears twitching as if she'd just woken from a dream. "Huh? Oh, Taka-kun. I'm fine, I just seem to be a bit faint all of a sudden."

The ronin thought about this for a moment before swiftly scooping Yuki up in his arms and marching off toward what he had determined to be an eastern direction. "Sounds like you need to rest up. I think I can see that grove from here; all the flower petals seem to be blowing from that direction. In any case, we'd best not stay here for long; I wouldn't want to run into Raijin or Hideaki just yet."

Yuki laughed weakly. "Can't say I blame you for that."

The raiju thought for a moment about how difficult it must be for Takashi to walk while carrying another person, but the ronin's arm muscles showed absolutely no signs of strain. Indeed, it felt like he could simply toss her bodily into the highest tree, or juggle her with ease if he wanted. In Takashi's rock-solid arms, she almost felt completely weightless.

The treeless grove that Jeffy had spoken of was only a 10-minute walk from the shrine gateway. The circular area was replete with the golden narcissus flowers, their petals blowing about like a yellow carpet in the curiously strong breeze. A slight overhang created by a mountain ledge provided shelter for the grove, and also explained why no trees had been able to grow here.

Takashi sat Yuki up against one of the bordering pine trees, quite close to the overhang's outer edge. Yellow petals continued to dance about listlessly as the raiju seemed to regain some of her strength, hoisting herself up further to a more dignified pose.

"So," Takashi began, his voice slightly stilted by awe at the beauty of this place. "What's up? You feel sick? Lightheaded?"

Yuki shook her head vigorously, her large white locks of hair swaying left and right. "No, not quite. I'm really fine, Taka-kun. I just need to sit down for a moment."

Takashi began rummaging through his travel sack after setting his weapons on the ground. "There's still plenty of water left in the jug."

The raiju smiled warmly. "I'm not really thirsty, Taka-kun."

The ronin ignored her, pouring a small cup and handing it to Yuki, who promptly sipped it down. Takashi poured some for himself, stowing the jug for later use. As the ronin quaffed the water down, an eerie stillness hung in the air. It was an empty feeling, almost as if something was out of place. It was Yuki who decided to confront the elephant in the room.

"Why don't you touch me, Taka-kun?"

The ronin nearly spit his entire drink out in surprise. "Huh? What are you talking about? I just carried you here, didn't I?"

Yuki looked matter-of-factly at the ronin, her eyes fixated intently on his. "You know that's not what I'm talking about. When you picked me up, it was almost as if you couldn't wait to put me down again. Did it make you uncomfortable, holding me like that?"

Takashi scratched the back of his head. "Well, it's not exactly easy to walk with the weight of two people . . ."

"Don't dodge my questions," Yuki cautioned. "I've seen the way you look at me. You've had the same look ever since we got to Komo Town."

The ronin shifted nervously. "What look is that?"

Yuki adopted an innocent pose. "The kind of look that says you want to do naughty things."

"Whoa," Takashi exclaimed, backing away slightly. "That's some imagination. Why would I be thinking that way about someone who looks like a 12-year-old, anyway?"

The raiju smiled playfully. "Okay, so I was kidding about the 'naughty things', but you have longed to hold me, haven't you?"

The ronin looked like he'd been run through with a katana. "What-what is this you speak of?"

Yuki's eyes gleamed wistfully. "It's the same way you looked at me eight years ago, the same look that made me want to stay in Komo Town with you. I saw it then, Taka-kun, and I see it now. Regardless of my age, the desire to be closer to me still lies in your heart." Her expression changed into something that didn't seem to fit her apparent age at all. She looked older for a moment, more mature. "Besides, no matter how my body looks, I'm still about your age, Taka-kun." Yuki took hold of his hand. "So again, I ask you, why haven't you touched me? Why do you need an excuse just to be near me?"

The ronin surprised Yuki by quickly withdrawing his hand from her grasp. "You're right, okay! I have felt that way ever since you reappeared, even when I thought you were an imposter! Still, even if I could get over the fact that you haven't changed one bit since that day . . ." Takashi placed both his hands upon his own face. "Look at me, Yuki! I don't even know who I am anymore! It was different when I didn't have the guilt of countless murders hanging over my head, but now, I can't even tell if I'm a monster or not! What kind of man does what I have done and then desires for more than he deserves? I can't . . . I just . . ."

The ronin shook off tears that had been welling up in his eyes, his jet-black hair cascading everywhere. "Do you know how I felt, waking up as if from a dream only to find that I'd destroyed my hometown, that I'd destroyed the homes and lives of the only people that mattered to me! Do you know how I tortured myself over and over again with the memory of your death, to the point that I couldn't even discern between my imagination and reality anymore! I can't let the monster I became that day touch you, Yuki! I won't let that-"

Takashi was cut off as Yuki suddenly leaned forward from the tree, overshadowing the ronin with her lithe form. He moved backwards reflexively, causing Yuki to take hold of both his hands and pin him to the ground.

"Taka-kun," Yuki whispered, straddling the ronin's prone body, her palms pressed to his own against the carpet of narcissus petals. "A monster wouldn't feel like he has to protect me."

Takashi made as if to respond, but words failed him as Yuki leaned into his body, nuzzling under his chin and sliding the warmth of her bare inner thighs along the hardened muscle of his upper legs.

"A monster isn't warm like this." she soothed.

Takashi's body promptly ceased any resistance to the unspeakable sensations Yuki was causing through her movements. With every cat-like purr that escaped her young throat, a thousand secret desires were fulfilled. With every warm breath that caressed his neck as the raiju continued to nuzzle him, a thousand more were satisfied. Still, this was not enough. Takashi hated to admit it, but this was far from enough. When Yuki raised herself up slightly to stare directly into the ronin's eyes, his entire body shuddered for her to return.

The raiju smiled with more warmth than Takashi had even though possible through human expression. "The way you talk, Taka-kun, you're no monster at all. Not only that, I think you love me."

Silence hung on the air for a moment as the breeze set loose another whirlwind of narcissus petals. Takashi stared into the girl's eyes, instantly losing himself in their golden depths.

"Well?" Yuki whispered gracefully. "Am I right?"

The ronin made as if to answer, but soon found Yuki's index finger place over his lips. She moved her head alongside his, maneuvering her own lips to his left ear. The hot breath and vibrations from her voice exploded like firecrackers in the ronin's head, nearly obstructing the words she said.

"That's okay; you don't need to say anything. I can tell everything I want to know from the way you look at me, Taka-kun, they way you don't look at anyone else." There was a pause. "Still, there is one thing that I have wanted to say to you for a long time."

The feel of the raiju's lips meeting with his own was like nothing Takashi could have ever imagined. At first, the ronin didn't know how to react, but Yuki seemed to have prepared for that. The girl's lips were softer than the golden petals floating in the blue sky as they gently guided the ronin's in response to her advance. Just when Takashi had begun to get acclimated to the heavenly motion, Yuki withdrew just long enough to whisper two words directly into his pursed lips.

"_Aishiteru yo_."

The ronin returned Yuki's advance with one of his own, kissing deeply as he rose from the ground. Their hands remained fiercely locked together, with the smaller Yuki sitting in Takashi's lap, her legs crossed over his backside. They indulged each others' passion wildly, their kisses growing more frequent and gaining more fluidity. Soon enough, there was no true space inbetween each amorous movement. Their lips, arms, and hands moved constantly, attempting to feel the entirety of each other's being as their souls truly met in once place and with one desire for the first time.

It was this constant movement, of course, that caused Takashi to quickly realize something. Initially, he had begun kissing Yuki at a downward angle, yet the degree of that angle had been proceeding steadily upward. She also seemed somewhat heavier, and softer too. He pulled away for a moment in surprise to see that Yuki no longer appeared to be 12 years old. Her white hair had grown twice as long in the space of barely a minute. Womanly curves had begun to show on her features, and she was nearing Takashi's height. The ronin felt, rather than saw the girl's increased breast size as she closed the small distance between them, whispering in his ear as the folds of her gi began to come apart at the shoulders.

"Don't stop."

Hesitation had become apparent in Takashi's eyes, however, so Yuki decided to pull away slightly and inform the ronin of something she had determined by his actions.

"Say, you've never been with a woman before, have you?"

Takashi paused in his advances for a moment, staring directly into the raiju's eyes smiled sheepishly. "Well, Jeffy tried his best and so did I, but . . ." The self-declared ladies' man blushed heavily. "Did you really think I could actually forget someone like you?"

"Not even for a moment," Yuki responded cheerily. "But you know," she whispered seductively, bringing her face ever closer to the ronin's. "You don't have to stay at my lips forever . . ."

The kissing resumed its former pace, but it didn't take long for Takashi to heed his lover's advice. The ronin's lips moved down past the raiju's chin and caressed her silken neck. Yuki gasped in pleasure as Takashi moved even further down, each successive contact setting the girl's insides alight with even more desire. She pressed the Takashi's face to her chest, completely lost in throes of ecstasy as the ronin enthusiastically, almost desperately partook of her newly adult body.

"Don't stop . . . Don't ever stop, Taka-kun . . ."

(End Chapter Twenty)

Japanese Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

Kenji-seijin - translates as "Sword Saint".

torii - the gateway of a Shinto temple, consisiting of two uprights supporting a concave crosspiece with projecting ends and a straight crosspiece beneath it.

aishiteru yo - shortened version of the phrase for "I love you".


	24. In the Day of Battle

House of Maxwell Productions  
Presents

Samurai Banzai RELOAD  
Volume 5 - Night of Wrath (Chapters 21 - Epilogue)

Based on the webcomic Samurai Banzai  
Copyright 2004 Briana Higgins

Written by  
Elite Plushie

Chapter Twenty-One  
In the Day of Battle

>>>Afternoon - May 8, 1583

The Greatness shone as brilliantly as ever as Takashi honed it against the smooth whetstone. The reddened rays of the setting sun shone off the blade at precise angles, indicating the pristine condition in which it was always kept. Still, even a routine action such as this could not distract Takashi from the big question nagging at his mind. Simply glancing over at the adult-bodied Yuki was more than enough to compound his curiosity. Even so, the ronin had not said a word since earlier when they had . . . well . . .

"Hey, Yuki?"

The raiju looked up from grooming her newly elongated hair that nearly stretched down past her thighs. "Hm? What's up?"

"Not to be insulting or anything," the ronin began. "But weren't you, like, 12 years old just a little while ago?"

Yuki grinned. "I've always been the same age, Taka-kun. It's just that my body finally caught up with my mind. These things happen, you know?"

Perplexity absolutely exploded upon the ronin's face. "These things happen? You went from 'ironing board' to 'mega-hot' in ten seconds flat! I don't know about you, but I've never seen anything like that happen before."

Yuki giggled. "You think I'm 'mega-hot', huh? It wasn't like I couldn't tell that from the way you acted earlier. I just can't believe how many times it took for it to even start going down . . ."

"Okaaay." Takashi interrupted, sheathing The Greatness. "Remind me never to ask you where you actually got experience on how to do that stuff."

The raiju stuck her tongue out playfully. "So noted."

The ronin looked around for a few moments in a suspicious manner, standing up so he could better see. Yuki was about to inquire as to the meaning of this action when Takashi held up a hand to keep her silent.

"I hear footsteps," he whispered.

Yuki stood up alongside him. "You think it's Noriko and Fuji?"

Takashi shook his head. "No, too heavy. It sounds more like . . ."

Nobumitsu suddenly came lumbering into view, casting his overly stern gaze about in a cautionary manner. It wasn't long before he recognized the two warriors.

"Takashi? Yuki?" he questioned. "Have you two seen Tomoe?"

"Tomoe?" Yuki replied. "What's happened to her? Better yet, what are you doing all the way up here?"

"Yeah," Takashi added. "And why talk to us? Thought you still hated us for that night eight years ago."

Nobumitsu shook his head wearily. "My feelings have not changed, but my sister's life is at stake. That raiju Hideaki has taken Tomoe hostage!"

"What!" Takashi exclaimed. "Why do something like that? What would those guys need a hostage for?"

"I have no idea," Nobumitsu responded. "I simply need to know if you've seen Tomoe or her captors recently."

"No, we haven't," Yuki answered. "We were just about to go up to the shrine and confront them ourselves."

"Well," the town guardian said as he was turning to leave. "There's no need now. Keichiro, Honda, and I will handle the cretins."

Takashi stood dumbstruck for a moment before moving to bar the guardian's path. "Whoa, hold on a second. You think you can just waltz in there and get your sister back? Do you even know who you're dealing with? Hideaki still has that freakin' huge chain, and his master is Raijin, as in High Yaen Master Raijin. Keichiro and Honda won't be enough to stop those two."

"What choice do I have?" Nobumistu returned. "They are the most able-bodied warriors in town, Honda quite capable with a spear, I might add."

"Spear nothing." Takashi attested. "If you go to that shrine unprepared, you're walking straight into the gates of the underworld. Look, I don't expect you to trust me or anything - hell, I don't even trust myself - but you would have a better chance of saving Tomoe if we were there." Noting the skeptical look on the guardian's face, the ronin continued. "Raijin and Hideaki want me, or more specifically, my sword. If I go in with you, they'll focus their attention on me, and you can get Tomoe out of there."

"Hmph," Nobumistu grunted. "Or, it could go this way: we all walk in there, you two give us away, turn out to be on their side, and kill us all. How's that work for a possibility?"

"Please, Nobumitsu-san," Yuki pleaded. "Don't go in there without us to help you! Tomoe wouldn't want you to die needlessly!"

The guardian looked strangely at her. "Weren't you a bit younger when we last met?" A moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Nobumitsu continued. "Well, you're absolutely right about what Tomoe would want in this situation, and your plan makes sense; I can't argue with that."

"Okay then," the ronin responded, hoisting his weapons into their designated spots and leaving the camp equipment behind. "What are we waiting for?"

As the town guardian, ronin, and raiju began to make their way back to the shrine steps, Nobumitsu had one final thing to say to Takashi. "Be careful, ronin. If you so much as breathe funny, I'll snap your neck quicker than you can say 'sake'."

"I dunno," Takashi replied sarcastically. "Sake goes pretty quick around me."

After a few minutes of walking, the trio reached the bottom of the stairway leading to the shrine. Despite Nobumitsu's claim, however, there was no one waiting for his return.

"What?" Nobumitsu wondered, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Keichiro!" he bellowed. "Honda! Where are you?"

"What's this?" Yuki asked, presenting the guardian with a bent wakizashi.

Nobumitsu marveled for a moment at the sharp contortion that had been inflicted upon the blade itself. "This belonged to Keichiro! We must hurry!"

The three uneasy companions raced up the shrine steps, each of their hearts pounding heavily, each for a different reason. Nobumitsu didn't look back to see it, but Takashi and Yuki's hands were fiercely locked together. Ready or not, the day of battle had come.

>>>

Just a few moments later, another two figures rushed their way towards the clearing just preceding the shrine entryway.

"Jeez," Fuji groaned, the raccoon dog again at his heels. "I can't believe we overslept! Of all the stupid things . . ."

"Indeed," Noriko concurred. "I just hope we make it there in time!"

"Oh, there's something I forgot!" the apprentice realized. "The o-fude are all written correctly, but you need an incantation to activate them! I didn't see one on the scroll, did you?"

"I removed that part." Noriko remarked off-handedly.

"You WHAT!" Fuji exclaimed.

Noriko laughed slightly. "Oh, calm down. I still have it, and I know the lines by heart anyway." Sliding a hand into the folds of her obi, she removed an object and quickly passed it into Fuji's grip. "Also, I'd like you to hold onto this."

The apprentice opened his hand to find the missing Eye of Amaterasu. "What the heck? Where did you-"

"It's my father's necklace," Noriko quickly answered as they neared the clearing. "Not much time to explain, but if we make it out of this alive, you need to take that back to your shrine, right?"

Fuji nodded dumbly, stringing the necklace about his collar and moving the mirror shard into the folds of his gi. "Absolutely, but are you sure it's the real eye?"

Upon reaching the clearing, both runners stopped dead in their tracks, Fuji completely forgetting about his question. The raccoon dog that had followed closely behind Fuji for most of the way fell backwards into the brush, growling as it went. Before the pair stood the Iga Ninjas, Tanizaki Megumi and Shisho Kumo. Megumi gave the group a nod, brandishing a pair of polished auburn tantos.

"How's it hanging, you two? Hope you weren't heading anywhere too terribly important."

Kumo leered from beneath his mask, twirling a finely-made spear in his hand. "Who would have thought that these country bumpkins carried such weapons?" the ninja wondered aloud. "Even stranger, who would have thought that target practice for the weapons just ran right up to you and presented themselves."

Noriko reacted quickly, drawing the Amatsuotome and pointing it dead on at the male ninja, whose red scarf flowed gently in the wind like a dead givaway. "Is your name 'Shisho Kumo'!"

The accused raised an eyebrow. "Indeed it is, fair lady. Why do you ask?"

The swordswoman simply uttered two words. "Itagaki Masanori."

A light suddenly clicked on in Kumo's head. "Oh! So that's where I've heard your name before." The ninja's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I do seem to remember some pathetic excuse for an old man challenging me just a few months back."

"You bastard!" Noriko exclaimed, making a head-on lunge at Kumo that the ninja all but failed to deflect. The Amatsuotome began moving like the wind, crisscrossing in lightning-fast arcs across the air and lunging at Kumo with random frequency. However, now that the initial blow had been made, the ninja found it easy to keep up with the swordswoman, using both the polished spear blade and its hardwood shaft to repel the constant flurry of attacks.

Megumi moved to join the battle, but was suddenly confronted with the Fan of Uzume. Fuji had not activated it, but simply held it in front of the advancing kunoichi.

"Why did you do it?" he inquired shakily. "Why did you betray us, Megumi!"

Megumi smiled in response, unnerving the already hesitant apprentice. "Betray you? I was never with you to begin with; I have always been and will always remain an Iga. You should have known better than to trust me, foolish boy."

Stung by the kunoichi's reply, Fuji failed notice the twitch-like movements made by the orange tantos. One of the blades shot out toward the apprentice, catching him full across the right cheek. Even as blood seeped from the light flesh wound, Fuji reacted instinctively. Extending the razor blades from the ends of the Fan of Uzume, the apprentice blocked the tantos' second strike with surprising speed. Fuji quickly backed off from his opponent, taking what Jeffy had taught him to be a proper defensive stance, with the blades of the fan facing the kunoichi in a vertical block.

"Hmm," Megumi hummed, twirling the twin tantos in dizzying fashion. "A Shinto apprentice versus the most esteemed knife-fighter in the entire Iga Clan? I wonder just how many seconds you'll last anyway . . ."

Fuji gulped visibly. Truthfully, he couldn't even imagine keeping pace with a trained ninja. However, he couldn't let Noriko get double-teamed by these villains; she was having enough trouble just breaking through Kumo's solid defense. The apprentice sharpened his stance and pronounced his next statement in a bold fashion that bore no resemblance to his last fear-laden inquisition.

"I'm not going to overestimate my skill," he proclaimed. "But you'd better not toy with me. Fight as you would if your life was at stake!"

Megumi laughed dangerously. "Interesting words, boy! I hope you're prepared for them to be your last!"

The raccoon dog growled quietly from the sidelines. Fuji couldn't possibly fight against that ninja, but what to do? There was nothing she could do. Tanuki had been powerless to stop this ever since this began, and there was most certainly nothing she could do now. Still, the creature knew one thing for certain.

_I don't want to forget that name again . . ._

>>>

The place was desolate. Charred remains of once proud structures stretched out across the olden shrine grounds, several of them simply burned-out husks, still standing but bent inward with strain. The setting sun cast a deathly red light over the skeletal ruins. Under the circumstances, it caused the shrine grounds to appear as a river of blood, with the banks formed by lines of fallen structures and a wide central path symbolizing the flowing lifestream.

Takashi, Yuki, and Nobumitsu made their way slowly across the central path, constantly shifting their drawn weapons left and right. Each of them knew that this was a perfect ambush setting. The enemy could emerge from these myriad ruins at any time. Nobumitsu was the first one to notice the bloodied bodies set up against a building to the right.

"Keichiro!" he shouted, despite the obvious fact that his men were dead. "Honda!"

As the town guardian rushed to the corpses of his comrades, Takashi spotted a sudden movement near the center of the grounds. Leveling his katana at the apparition, he called out a challenge.

"Show your face!" he bellowed.

Hideaki emerged from the shadow of a building, smiling fiendishly and toying with his chain, telltale blood dripping off the weapon. "No need for that sort of thing, Taka-kun. I fully planned on showing myself to you in due time." The raiju pointed a muscular arm in the direction of Keichiro and Honda's bodies. "I just thought I'd let you get a nice good look at your probable future over there."

"Bastard . . ." Takashi breathed. "Did you do the same thing to Tomoe?"

Hideaki shrugged. "Why would I? She's far more useful to me as she is." The raiju pointed up toward one of the taller structures where the unconscious girl had been hung by her wrists with a thick rope.

"Tomoe . . ." Nobumitsu muttered, rising from the bodies of his fallen compatriots. Forcing himself to remain calm, he demanded, "Why are you doing this? What possible use could you have for my sister?"

Hideaki raised an eyebrow, his haunting red irises sending chills through the three warriors. "That is indeed an interesting question, Nobumitsu. The answer is this." The raiju glanced toward Takashi. "Last time we met, you did not put up any kind of fight at all. Since you seem to value the life of this girl, however, I decided that she could be used to instigate a battle between the two of us; a proper one, unlike last time's one-sided beating."

The ronin stepped forward boldly, The Greatness still leveled at Hideaki. "There's no need for that. We can settle our differences without the hostage."

"It's entirely possible," the raiju mused. "However, something else vexes me." He looked toward Yuki. "Why are you in an adult form, sister? Do you not remember my warning? Also, what are you doing on the same side as the monster who destroyed our lives?"

The catgirl moved closer to Takashi. "My form doesn't matter, Hideaki. I made a choice, and I'm going to stick by it. That goes for Taka-kun as well."

"Your choice?" the male raiju laughed. "Oh, come now; you don't really expect me to believe that." Hideaki smiled devilishly. "Only someone as selfish and devious as this ronin could have forced you to do such a thing!"

"My sister," Nobumitsu interrupted, doing his best not to simply rush the arrogant demon. "Having one of your own, surely you can understand. Let her go."

Hideaki grinned benignly at the town guardian. "Hm? I don't suppose our situations are that similar, but since I bear you no hostility, why not? After all, I never really meant any harm. It's all good sport between friends, eh?"

The rope suspending Tomoe's body inexplicably began to unravel. The noise from the sliding fibers distracted Takashi for a moment, and that was all that Hideaki needed. The Ikazuchi chain shot out of a building to the left, hurtling straight for the ronin's head. If not for a timely block from Yuki, the weapon would have most assuredly ended the confrontation before it had even begun. Still, the Kamikaze-ken could not effectively deflect the impact of the heavy chain. Yuki's weapon shot out of her grip with a sound like a cymbal crash, spinning through the air and embedding itself in the rotted wood of a nearby structure up to half its length.

Takashi reacted immediately to the sudden attack, placing himself between the fallen Tomoe and Hideaki. The raiju had just begun to recall the Ikazuchi to his wrist when the ronin dashed forward, katana blade aimed for Hideaki's torso. The raiju effortlessly swung his right arm up and to the left, using the force of the Ikazuchi's return to block Takashi's strike.

Grappling intensely with the remaining momentum of the chain, Takashi called out to Nobumitsu. "Take Tomoe and get out of here! Now!"

The town guardian was quick to pick up his sister in both arms, but was hesitant to leave in the face of the enemy. Yuki, who still held her right hand in an attempt to stop the ringing sensation caused by her earlier block, noticed the man's apprehension.

"I know it seems cowardly to run away, especially since your men have fallen," she advised. "However, you have someone important to take care of; we don't know what happened to her while she was with Hideaki. Get her to town as fast as possible; hurry!"

Nobumitsu complied in a trice, barreling toward the woods away from the shrine's main entrance, the weight of his sister not even slowing the giant man down. It was easy to see the truth in Yuki's words, however, it was not so easy to accept their existence. Nobumitsu looked back toward the ronin and the female raiju. Were these not the same two children who had caused the destruction of Old Komo Town? At this point, they seemed nothing like what Nobumitsu had imagined when he was told of their deeds. Fighting to give the guardian a chance at rescuing his sister? That didn't sound like the act of reckless destroyers. In fact, it sounded more like what Taroto had said to him before his departure.

"Believe in their 'good spirit', eh?" Nobumitsu wondered aloud. "Perhaps you were right after all, Taroto-san."

It was just after the town guardian disappeared into the folds of the woodland that Hideaki broke his grapple with Takashi by reversing the Ikazuchi's direction. The ronin attempted to compensate by sliding his katana upward into a notch in the links that would allow him continue the direct power struggle, but Hideaki was two steps ahead. The Ikazuchi changed directions on its own, suddenly wrapping itself around The Greatness and ripping it clean out of Takashi's grasp. The ronin made a dive for the weapon as it thudded into the ground about two feet behind Hideaki, making sure to deliver a sweep to the raiju's legs in order to prevent the inevitable counterattack. Hideaki almost lost his balance, but compensated swiftly by swinging the Ikazuchi in the direction of the ronin's katana. The chain struck the pavement, causing a shower of sparks as it arced toward The Greatness, striking the sword clear of the ground and into the air. Takashi rolled out of his dive and rocketed upward, grasping the spinning katana just in time to defend his backside from a midair swipe by the Ikazuchi. The steel didn't even have time to grind; the direct impact from the massive chain propelled the airborne Takashi backwards and onto the crumbling roof of a nearby structure. Miraculously, the ronin maintained his balance on three limbs just out of the Ikazuchi's striking range both horizontally and vertically.

Hideaki smiled with delight as his chain again wrapped itself around his right arm. "It seems that Anakouji Jeffery's training does indeed deserve some credit, especially if it can give a no-account bum like you even an inkling of true talent."

Takashi shook his head. "Man, it sure does take a lot to impress you, doesn't it?"

Yuki, having finally recovered her sword, leveled the weapon at Hideaki. "Let's see how impressed he is at the prospect of fighting this battle two-on-one."

Raising the sword above her head in the same manner as Wild Card had once shown, Yuki shouted out the incantation that would unleash the weapon's power. "Kamikaze Awa . . ."

The raiju's voice inexplicably trailed off into nothingness just seconds before she suddenly dropped the Kamikaze-ken, pitched forward, and hit the ground with a sharp thud. She attempted to get back up, but the action resulted in strange convulsions that racked the girl's entire body.

Using the newfound distraction, Hideaki leaped forward and launched the Ikazuchi at Takashi bodily. The ronin found it easy to block the strike at that distance, but he couldn't take his eyes off the wildly convulsing catgirl.

"Yuki!" he shouted into the rapidly descending night. "What the hell's the matter! Yuki!"

(End Chapter Twenty-One)


	25. Breaking Point

Chapter Twenty-Two  
Breaking Point

>>>Evening - May 8, 1583

"Hey." a voice called out from the trees.

Jiro stopped in his tracks and turned to face the one who had addressed him. It was hard to see details in the fading light, but he felt that he knew this voice by heart.

"Jeffy?" the Yaen Master questioned.

"Exactly right." Anakouji Jeffery commented as he hobbled forward on his trademark crutches. "Thought I might not catch you before you hit the summit."

Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Did Noriko tell you what I'm about to do?"

Jeffy simply nodded.

Jiro smiled and placed a fond grip on the handle of his katana. "Never thought it would come to this, really. All I wanted was to find out what our old master was up to. Didn't occur to me that I might have to force it out of him."

"He hasn't told even his followers of his plans?" Jeffy questioned.

Jiro shook his head with a hint of exasperation. "He redefines the term 'brick wall'. Always keeps himself busy talking about the 'salvation of Japan' and the 'coming glory of the Ryuketsu', but I have no idea what he's talking about." The sword master looked wistfully toward the sky. "We both know Raijin, though; the man doesn't act without a plan."

Jeffy nodded once in agreement. "That is most true. Raijin would not follow a path unless it not only made perfect sense to do so, but was also completely necessary."

"He never seemed the religious type to me," Jiro continued. "So I ruled that out early on. Still, this Ryuketsu stuff scares me. Having seen what it does to people, I could never believe that it has anything to do with the word 'salvation'." He sighed heavily. "To be honest, I wish you could come up there with me. Together, I'm sure we could handle whatever he dishes out."

Jeffy smiled weakly. "I too wish that I could join you. However, your pal Hideaki did a fine job of preventing me from participating in this conflict. If I were to come, I would be no more than a hindrance. I'm afraid that you will simply have to fight twice as well in my stead."

Jiro laughed. "Oh boy, like I didn't expect to hear that. You were always the slacker, Jeffy."

Jeffy hoisted himself forward on his crutches, a look of worry crossing his old face. "I couldn't have picked a worse time to get injured either. I don't know what is causing me to feel this way, but it seems as if this conflict is more than one of simple interest. There are things moving in the shadows, Jiro, things that you or I may not yet be able to imagine." He placed a hand on his one-time partner's shoulder. "Be careful up there."

Jiro grinned. "Come on, you know me."

Jeffy returned the friendly expression. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of."

>>>

Noriko and Kumo were an even match, parrying each others' thrusts and dodging slashes like clockwork. It seemed as if their battle had come to everything but a standstill. Nevertheless, Noriko pressed onward, fueled by the fact that she had finally found the one responsible, the man who killed her father. Even so, there were still questions in her mind.

"Why'd you do it?" she gasped between strokes and clashes of blades. "Why kill my father? What would the Iga want with him?"

Kumo's haunting eyes gleamed at Noriko from beneath his dark mask. "The Iga? Who said that the clan had anything to do with your father's death?"

"Why then!" Noriko yelled, for the first time breaking Kumo's block and rushing in. "Why did you kill my father!"

The blade of the Amatsuotome leapt forward, barely an inch away from Kumo's face when the spear almost literally materialized in front of it. Noriko's eyes widened as the spear miraculously deflected her strike. She knew that movement to be impossible; it had been done far too quickly for any human to accomplish.

This time, when Kumo looked at her, his eyes literally glowed yellow. "There is more going on here than you realize, young swordswoman. The Iga are simply along for the ride."

"What the hell?" Noriko breathed at the haunting yellow gaze and dark voice emanating from the ninja. "Just what the hell are you anyway!"

Fuji, in the meantime, was having serious problems of his own. Megumi nearly threw herself at him with each attack, constantly throwing the apprentice's guard off balance. Her orange tantos moved like showers of flaming arrows, nearly impossible to defend against. Somehow, Fuji was still holding on, doing his best to follow the movements of the trained ninja in this hectic dance of death.

"So, it seems that Jeffy did indeed teach you something," Megumi conceded. "You at least know how to run!"

The kunoichi dashed forward again, cleanly missing this time as Fuji rolled backward and unleashed the light from the Fan of Uzume. To the apprentice's dismay, Megumi blinked just in time.

The kunoichi laughed ridiculously. "Don't you think I have the timing of that thing down pat by now? You only use it in every confrontation."

"You're too different," Fuji breathed. "You're too different from the Megumi I know. What happened?"

"How naive," Megumi scoffed. "Do you really think the blundering fool I acted like around you people could have possibly succeeded as an Iga ninja? The only thing to blame here is your own ignorance!"

"Still doesn't make sense," Fuji replied, taking a different defensive stance. "You could have killed any one of us at any time. Why wait until now?"

Megumi raised her tantos dangerously. "I didn't realize you were in such a hurry to die. In that case!"

The kunoichi again rushed forward. Fuji locked his joints to withstand the onslaught, but it did not arrive. Megumi yelped in surprise as the raccoon dog dove out of nowhere and latched its teeth onto her left hand. The tanto hit the ground with a clank as Megumi cursed wildly, giving every effort into removing the offending animal. Confused, but not willing to miss this chance, Fuji made a headlong dash toward the kunoichi, using the blades of his fan to knock the other tanto clean away from her grasp. Megumi, however, was dangerous even without weapons. She forcibly flung Tanuki aside and rose up like a tidal wave less than an inch from Fuji's face. A sharp-palmed uppercut knocked Fuji's teeth against his skull, followed seconds later by a roundhouse kick to the abdomen that sent the apprentice sprawling on all fours.

The kunoichi recovered her blades spitting viciously at the raccoon dog. "Filthy animal! I should never have used you to get close to them!"

Megumi dove to finish Tanuki off, tantos raised high. Fuji, however, displayed a moment of combative clarity, allowing him to intercept and block the strike with surprising deftness. The apprentice stood between the kunoichi and the raccoon dog, breathing heavily, half from exhaustion and half from surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Fuji questioned. "Why would anyone 'use' a raccoon dog? That doesn't even make sense!"

It was then that Fuji first began to notice the powerful aura flowing between Megumi and the raccoon dog. Something was seriously off about this, but what? What possible connection could these two have anyway?

>>>

A chain of the Ikazuchi's size and constitution would be a difficult obstacle to any katana-user. However, when coupled with Hideaki's extreme strength and the ability to change direction without regard for the everyday rule of inertia, it was proving to be an impossible opponent. Yuki's convulsions had calmed by now, but every time that Takashi tried to get near her, the Hideaki and the Ikazuchi were all over him, constantly whipping left and right.

"Let me go to her!" the ronin yelled, furiously blocking as sparks flew from his blade. "Can't you see what's happening to Yuki! She's your sister!"

Hideaki withdrew the massive chain in a flash, whirling it about his head with such force that it actually pulled the air toward him with an overwhelming rush of noise caused by wind resistance. "Why would I let you anywhere near her, ronin? You're the one who caused this, after all!"

Takashi responded by rushing straight toward his opponent. The Ikazuchi leapt forward in an effort to halt his advance, but the ronin feinted right and launched himself into the air, right over Hideaki's head. The chain snapped back around, regardless of its original direction and whipped about as if it weighed nothing at all. It took everything Takashi had just to defend himself from the metallic beast, his katana moving back and forth with such alacrity that even Hideaki's demon senses had trouble keeping up. However, it was clear that the raiju had more endurance in this regard. As the ronin landed and continued a backward motion to get away from the Ikazuchi, the chain continued its rapid flurry of attacks. Takashi was getting slower, but it took absolutely no effort on Hideaki's part to keep up the assault.

Suddenly, the chain whipped downwards, sweeping Takashi off his feet. The ronin attempted to recover by widening his limbs, but the Ikazuchi reacted immediately, wrapping itself around The Greatness and pulling with great ferocity. Takashi resisted the force of the chain for a moment before drawing his wakizashi and striking the suspended Ikazuchi in a futile effort to break its hold.

"What do you mean, 'I caused this'!" the ronin shot back at his opponent as he attempted to wedge the short sword into the chain to loosen its hold.

Hideaki raised a skeptical eyebrow, pulling ever harder on the straining katana blade. "What do I mean? Are you saying that you don't remember what you did to Yuki?"

"Of course I remember!" Takashi claimed. "I nearly killed her!"

"Wrong!" Hideaki responded with undisguised glee. "You **did** kill her!"

"What?" Takashi exclaimed, his surprise nearly costing him the deadly tug-of-war.

"You heard me!" Hideaki shouted back. "Did you think that someone could honestly survive a blow like that? If it weren't for the healing arts that I learned from our parents, she would not even be here!" The male raiju pulled even tighter upon seeing Yuki begin to recover consciousness, his latest effort bringing Takashi to his knees. "Thing is though, it only works if she remains at the same age as when it happened! If she stays in that adult form, she'll die!"

Hideaki gave one final pull, causing the katana's blade to snap and then shatter into several fragments. Takashi, still holding onto the Ikazuchi as it was pulled, was thrown into the air, once again clear over Hideaki and landing right next to Yuki's struggling form.

Fighting against the pains of his bruised body, he tried to comprehend what had just been said. "That can't be right . . . Why would you change your form if you knew what would happen, Yuki!"

"Easy!" Hideaki laughed, again whirling the chain in a high arc. "You obviously forced her to do it! You've always done things like that, haven't you!"

"Don't . . ." Yuki gasped weakly. "Don't assume . . . such things. I changed . . . because of my own choice."

"Why?" Takashi questioned, distress present in his tone. "Why would you do that if you knew!"

Yuki smiled. "I wouldn't have survived much longer anyway, Taka-kun. And besides, it's not like I can change back."

The Ikazuchi shot forth and locked around Takashi's wrists, dragging the ronin backwards and causing him to lose his grip on the wakizashi.

Hideaki hoisted the ronin up and stared straight into his eyes. "First you take away my town, then my life, and now my sister? You have a lot to make amends for, Taka-kun!" He smiled with evil delight. "I heard that you even killed your master, Nobunaga with that cursed sword of yours. You really are worthless, aren't you?"

The Ikazuchi whipped upward, casting the ronin sky-high, wrapping again around his legs, and launching him straight through a crumbling building. Takashi's body burst through the wooden walls back onto the main path, ash choking his breath and pain lacing through every fiber of his being.

"Taka-kun!" Yuki cried out, struggling to regain her feet.

Honestly, the ronin didn't even feel like moving anymore. What was it worth, anyway? Everything he and Yuki had talked about seemed so far away now, as if it resided somewhere other than reality. In truth, it seemed that he was indeed as much of a monster as he had supposed. Nothing Hideaki said was untrue, not even the part about how worthless Takashi was.

"No point anymore . . ." Takashi gasped. "Just end it; I don't deserve anything else . . ."

"Oh, you're right, Taka-kun," Hideaki grinned, readying the Ikazuchi for a final strike. "You're so unbelievably right!"

The chain had just started to descend when two words rent the evening air.

"Kamikaze Awake!"

A powerful blast of wind forced the Ikazuchi and Hideaki several feet backwards; it was everything the male raiju could do just to stay on his feet against such a blast.

"What is the meaning of this!" Hideaki exclaimed. "Why side with this ronin, Yuki! He has only brought ruin to everyone around him! It is I who saved you, and it is I who must continue to save you from his menace!"

"No!" Yuki almost screamed. Silence reigned for a few moments as Yuki lowered the Kamikaze-ken. "You're wrong, brother." she stated in a much calmer voice. "Did Raijin convince you of all that? Is that how he warped your mind to what it is now?"

"What do you mean?" Hideaki returned. "My memory is as clear as day; Takashi is the one responsible for our sorrow!"

"All right," Yuki responded. "If you're so certain, then you won't mind this."

The raiju's eyes began to glow with an extremely faint blue light. At first, it was disturbing to look at, but Takashi soon felt a great sense of comfort wash over him, as if he were passing out of reality.

"Do not use this power, Yuki!" Hideaki shouted. "I have forbidden you to do this!"

"Sorry, brother." the female raiju replied. "Both of you need to see this: the truth of eight years ago!"

>>>

"It's incredible," Kumo stated as he effortlessly deflected another of Noriko's attacks.

"What?" the swordswoman inquired, reversing her direction only to arrive at a grapple with her sword pinned to the ground by the ninja's spear.

"You, I mean." Kumo replied, a sly smile creeping its way across his darkened features underneath the cold black mask. "You're so different from your comrades, if you still even call them that."

"Of course I do!" Noriko shot back. "Why would they be anything else!"

Kumo leaned forward, his weight putting both their weapons under serious strain. "I'm no stranger to the way you've acted toward them; Megumi never left any details out of her stories. Why don't you stop pretending to care about these fools? It's only too obvious that you're using them just to get to me; Takashi is useful for finding me since I've been ordered to kill him, that boy over there is useful for his Shinto prowess . . ." The yellow eyes flared once again at the swordswoman. "Need I go on?"

Noriko heaved mightily on the Amatsuotome, breaking the standoff and propelling herself backward with a shower of sparks. Kumo immediately reacted by bringing his spear blade up in a rising arc, but the effort was quickly deflected by Noriko's katana as it whistled through the air with a dangerous hum.

"It's not like that!" she protested. "They're not just tools!"

"Then what is it like?" Kumo replied, resting in a defensive pose with the spear tip nearing the ground. "What are they to you? Are they more important than your revenge, or simply a passing part of your life that you'll forget one day when you hang up your sword?" The ninja twirled his spear in a rapid spin and planted the tip in the ground. "I'll tell you what; don't even answer that. I'll stop right here if you want to help your pal Fuji over there."

"Stop?" Noriko questioned cautiously. "What are you talking about? You can't seriously expect me to turn my back on a ninja."

"Truthfully," Kumo answered with unusual brevity. "I don't expect anything. I'm simply giving you a chance to prove me wrong. If the young apprentice over there really means something to you, then you ought to help him out; Megumi will surely finish him if you don't."

Noriko smiled ruefully. "And what about you? What will you be doing?"

The ninja shrugged. "Well, I certainly don't feel like hanging around here; not too friendly an atmosphere if you take my meaning." Noting that Noriko was beginning to take him seriously by the rapid movement of her eyes between his position and Fuji's struggle. He leaned forward, arms crossed akimbo. "So, what will it be?"

Fuji, at the moment, was beginning to slip. Megumi was simply too fast for him, and that aura he had picked up on was constantly distracting him. Even as the kunoichi's tantos made grazing cuts on clothing and skin alike, the apprentice couldn't stop his mind from racing through different possibilities.

"Some form on ninjitsu . . ." he muttered. "But which one? What could be of any use . . ."

"Your mind needs to be on more important matters!" Megumi shouted, bringing the orange blades together in a well-placed attempt to break Fuji's defenses.

The apprentice dove to the left, forcing the kunoichi to alter the direction of her attack and making it substantially weaker in the process. As he brought up his fan blades to block the kunoichi's motions, a single word rose up from the depths of memory.

"Dominus . . ." Fuji uttered.

Megumi's eyes went wide as she brought both tantos to bear once again. "Shut up!"

Fuji backpedaled, casting the kunoichi's wild strikes aside like clockwork as he delved deeper into studies long since past. "Dominus Ninjitsu, I read about this. It's a manipulation art of some sort, though I don't recall any record of a successful execution . . ."

"Get off it!" the kunoichi yelled. "Your death is at hand!"

In her rage, Megumi became sloppy. Fuji read her next move like a book, easily catching both the kunoichi's weapons in the folds of his fan and holding them to the ground.

Looking directly into the assassin's angry eyes, the apprentice continued. "Why are you so desperate? What's so important to . . . hide . . ." Fuji couldn't keep his eyes from wandering to the raccoon dog perched nearby. Suddenly, it hit him. "Spirit exchange? Isn't that what the Dominus Ninjitsu is good for?" The apprentice's expression contorted as the fullness of this information became clear as day. "You switched spirits with a tanuki! It's not possible! Human spirits can't possibly dwell inside the body of an animal!"

Megumi made a dexterous recovery, wheeling the tantos out of the Fan of Uzume in a movement so fast that Fuji failed to respond in time. Both tantos rushed toward the defenseless boy, threatening to end his life in a mere second.

"To hell with you!" the kunoichi screamed.

The next sound was a sharp clang as the auburn tantos met the grooved steel of the Amatsuotome. Noriko easily cast aside the smaller blades, forcing Megumi backwards several feet.

Keeping the katana leveled at the kunoichi, Noriko called out, "Let's hear the rest of this. What did you pull with that raccoon dog?"

"Kumo!" Megumi ranted. "What are you doing! Help me out here!"

The addressed ninja simply waved his hand with exasperation. "What's the big deal? You might as well tell them."

Only Megumi could have noticed the distinct hand signal made by her partner. The kunoichi smiled strangely at Fuji and Noriko as she spoke.

"That curious, eh?" Megumi pointed directly at the apprentice. "Actually, you already figured it out, Fuji. Why would I act the way I did around you people? Why didn't I murder each and every one of you fools in your sleep?" The kunoichi threw her hair back arrogantly. "There are two answers. First of all, I wasn't me. The Megumi that you knew was too clumsy, too foolish. In fact, she was **inhumanly** clumsy and foolish, wasn't she?"

"That explains it . . ." Noriko responded. "No one could have created another personality so flawlessly." The swordswoman looked oddly at Tanuki. "Is this the Megumi that we knew?"

"Precisely," Megumi leered. "How such a worthless animal managed to fool you people into thinking she was an Iga ninja is beyond me, but nevertheless, it allowed me to memorize every one of your attack patterns from the sidelines. Just like earlier, Fuji, when I proved how useless your fan is against me."

"That was your plan, eh?" Noriko stated with near-admiration. "Instead of trying to separate Takashi from the group, you planned to kill the whole lot of us."

The kunoichi shook her head. "That animal didn't make things easy, though. Every time I would try to get back into my own body, she would resist me. Eventually, I just had to take it back for good." She smiled devilishly. "I don't know what that pitiful creature hoped to achieve, really."

Fuji was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate. Something about what was being said called images to his mind, images that became more and more familiar as the haze of reality began to fall away. There was that little girl again, laughing and smiling, her sharp orange eyes and stark crimson hair standing out in the apprentice's mind as she ran toward him. Fuji knelt down and opened his arms to receive her, but she faded out of existence just out of his reach.

"Two answers . . ." Fuji mumbled. "You said that there were two answers. What is the other?"

"Oh, that?" Megumi nearly laughed. "Well, if I had killed you back then, I wouldn't get to enjoy it from the perspective that I have now. Meet your fate, knowing that the Iga have bested you! Do it now, Kumo!"

Kumo's spear swung upwards from behind Noriko, severing the swordswoman's head from her neck with one clean sweep. At least, this would have happened had Megumi not made her untimely statement.

Noriko's katana had never moved so fast. It was instantly across her back, narrowly blocking the surgical strike with a sharp clang. Kumo canceled his attack, whirling the spear back around and going straight for the center of Noriko's back. Rather than stand still and allow the ninja's weapon to end the battle, the swordswoman turned on her opponent, sweeping the spear blade aside once again in a graceful movement.

"That's funny," she commented dryly. "I thought you weren't going to hang around."

"I wasn't," Kumo responded with his usual nonchalant attitude. "But things suddenly got more interesting around here." His eyes narrowed as he readied the next attack. "Besides, not many people know it, but I made a promise to her sister. As long as I live, no one will take this girl's life."

"It's certainly nice of you to say so," Megumi responded, prepping her tantos for a final strike against Fuji. "But you know that I don't hold to that. In this world, depending on others is a weakness." She suddenly dashed forward, both orange blades poised for the kill. "Silly feelings for people and animals will be the death of you!"

Megumi was literally inches from the apprentice when there was a near-blinding flash of bluish light. When Kumo glanced over to see what had happened, the kunoichi hung in midair suspended by blue waves of energy, her arms attempting to grasp the o-fude charm that had attached itself to her forehead but failing to break the invisible chains that held her in place.

"What the hell!" Kumo attempted to question before his concentration was broken by an oddly-timed strike from Noriko.

"What are you doing?" Megumi inquired, her voice strained by the force of the o-fude. "What can you hope to accomplish with your silly charms, boy? There's no charm in existence that can kill a human being."

"You're right about that," Fuji smiled ruefully. "But in certain cases, even a simple seal like Truth can be deadly."

The blue light that surrounded Megumi extended its reach to envelop Tanuki as well. A transparent copy of the kunoichi appeared in front of the limp animal, identical to Megumi in every way and surprised even at its own existence.

"Now we'll see," Fuji threatened. "Which one of you deserves to live in this body!"

(End Chapter Twenty-Two)


	26. For Every Action

Chapter Twenty-Three  
For Every Action

>>>Afternoon - ?

It had been nighttime. Takashi was sure of that. He had been fighting with Hideaki under the rising moonlight, but now he was alone, and the sun was just beginning to set. Looking around, the ronin could see that he was standing on a grassy knoll, overlooking a small town nestled in the valleys created by the Suzuka Mountain Range. Takashi knew this place.

"Komo Town . . ." he breathed. "This isn't possible . . ."

As the ronin began to walk toward the village, his heart and mind raced. He knew this day by heart. He knew every cloud and its position in the sky. He knew every wisp of smoke that trailed above the simple buildings. As he entered the town boundaries, Takashi realized that he knew something else in the depths of his mind. He knew every word of what was being said by the children in the town square before they said it.

"Get up, Takashi! Don't let that dirty raiju beat you!"

"Shut up, man! You want that demon to come after you next?"

"Look at him! He hasn't even got a sword!"

"What's the matter, demon lover? Your pet turn against you?"

Takashi rounded the corner slowly, afraid of what he might see, afraid that it might be exactly as he imagined. In the reddened light caused by the setting sun, a group of village children danced around two distinct figures. One, a teenage male raiju wielded the Ikazuchi-ken and taunted the other.

"Come on, Taka-kun!" the young Hideaki leered. "If you want to take my sister away from me, you'll have to do better than that!"

"What are you talking about?" a 12-year-old Takashi shot back, blood seeping from a slash on his arm. "I never said anything like that!"

Hideaki twirled the blue-tinted short sword in his hand effortlessly, stalking the boy in the same manner as one would a cornered animal. "Call for your weapon, Taka-kun. Yuki won't come with me because of you! You want her all for yourself, don't you?"

The raiju swung his blade at the young Takashi, barely missing and scaring the boy into yelling out the fateful words. "Shinryo-ken!"

Nothing happened. Hideaki laughed in the boy's face. "Look at that! Even your own sword doesn't respect you, not even enough to come when it's called! You're pathetic!"

The raiju delivered a sharp kick to the boyhood Takashi, causing a whoop to arise from the spectators. Even some of the adults had gathered to the scene, not daring to interfere due to the demon's presence.

Hideaki swept his white hair back and raised his chin arrogantly at the crying Takashi. "You think you can protect my sister like that? You're worthless, Taka-kun. You're not even worth your own life."

"Stop it . . ." the young Takashi sobbed. "Stop it, Hide . . ."

"Go ahead!" the raiju taunted, kicking the boy again and again. "Call for help! Call for your sword! See if it'll help you now! I'll even call it for you!" Hideaki adopted an odd singsong voice as he kicked Takashi even harder. "Shinryo-ken! Shinryo-ken! Come help me! I'm too weak and pathetic to save myself! Why won't anyone help me when I cheat on my friends? Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo!"

"Shinryo-ken . . ." Takashi muttered, his voice broken by the raiju's attacks. "Shinryo-ken . . ."

"Listen to him!" Hideaki jeered, ceasing his kicks for the moment. "Come on, Taka-kun; tell us the name of that sword again."

Normally, some sort of bodily movement is involved when raising oneself up off of the ground. This, however, was not the case as the young Takashi literally materialized mere inches in front of Hideaki's face. His tear-stained eyes glowed bright red from behind a bruised face as the boy spoke loudly in a guttural voice that sounded as if it had echoed throughout the caverns of the underworld.

"Kusanagi, you son of a bitch."

The setting sun blinked out in an instant, and the sky went pitch black. As the townspeople ran screaming, a massive fireball shot out from the forests and rocketed toward the town. Takashi could feel the intense heat as the summoned blade barreled its way through buildings and people alike, setting both aflame in a massive conflagration. Streams of fire shot all over the town like descending dragons as the massive broadsword came to rest in the arms of the child. The demonic voice that had consumed the young Takashi laughed at the fear-stricken Hideaki.

"Don't toy with that which is beyond your imagination, foolish subcreature!"

Flame shot out of the broadsword, detonating on the ground and blowing the screaming Hideaki backward through several buildings. The young Takashi continued to laugh and jest in the impossibly deep voice as he cast fire about in every direction, flaying anyone who came close enough into shreds.

As the older Takashi watched in horror, he noticed the presence of the adult Hideaki across the square holding his head in terror.

"No more, Yuki!" the raiju screamed. "No more, please! I beg you!"

>>>Night - May 8, 1583

"Raijin-sama?"

The elderly raiju turned toward the voice coming from the hill leading to the cliff on which he stood. "Jiro? Where have you been?"

The sword master nodded toward Raijin. "It is I, sensei. I have dealt permanently with Anakouji Jeffery. He won't be bothering us anymore."

"Ah," the raiju responded, turning his bone mask-covered face back toward the battle some distance below. "First the teacher and soon his apprentice. It seems the 'Jeffy-Yaen' style will fade into nothingness this very night."

Jiro looked over the cliff to see the battle between Takashi, Yuki, and Hideaki in the ruined shrine. "Indeed, many things shall end on this night, and move this world closer to glorious salvation."

As Raijin continued to witness the confrontation, Jiro stared straight at him. Not yet . . . soon, but not yet . . .

>>>

"No!" Hideaki shouted, ramming his head into a nearby building, nearly breaking through the rotted material. "No, it isn't possible!"

"No way . . ." Takashi gasped as he got up from the prone position in which he had received Yuki's vision. "Hideaki started it?"

Yuki nodded slowly, still rubbing her eyes; they had become quite irritated after using the mysterious power she had locked away in her early childhood. "Remember when Hideaki said he would be leaving the town? On that day, I told him that I didn't want to leave; that what I wanted in life was right there in Komo Town. He didn't want to listen, and the more I tried to explain it, the worse it got. Eventually, he left for town to confront you. By the time I got there . . ." She placed a hand to her chest and lowered her head. "It was already too late."

"This cannot be!" Hideaki continued to exclaim. "I am the one in the right! I am backed by righteousness!"

"I wonder," Yuki commented. "How many years of Raijin's torture did you endure before you began to think like that? Is there anything of my brother left in you at all?"

"Do not question Master Raijin!" Hideaki demanded. "He alone possesses wisdom in an era of fools! He alone is concerned with the good of the entire world! Together, we shall purge such reckless killers as Ueda Takashi!"

The raiju took up the Ikazuchi in a fit of rage and began to whirl it about his head faster than ever before. "Ikazuchi Awake!"

Lightning shot down from the clouds overhead, striking the chain and imbuing it with electrical energy that began to fly in all directions. The bolts struck the fallen buildings, setting fires that began to burn high into the night sky. Takashi seemed frozen stiff. Without his katana, he stood little chance against such an onslaught, but this was not what caused him to react in such a manner.

"This is familiar . . ." he mumbled. "Just like eight years ago . . . just like . . ." The final shroud departed from the ronin's memory. "Just like the Honnoji no Hen."

Yuki placed herself alongside Takashi, facing her maddened brother. "You see, Taka-kun? Hideaki was there on that night eight years ago, and he was there when your master died. I'm sorry to say it, but the monster you've been looking for is right in front of you."

"Stop lying!" Hideaki screamed. "Stop lying to my sister, Taka-kun! Stop turning her against me! Draw your sword, and we'll see just how much of a monster you are! FACE ME!"

Takashi bowed his head. "Yuki, even if Hideaki did start our confrontation eight years ago, I am still the one responsible for causing the destruction."

Alarm crossed the female raiju's face. "No, Taka-kun! You can't think like that, you can't-"

Wordlessly, the ronin began to walk forward toward the torrential whirlwind of lightning wielded by Hideaki.

"Come on, Taka-kun." the raiju jeered. "Come on, you monster. You devil!"

Slowly, with unsteady hands, Takashi began to unlatch the monstrous broadsword from its scabbard. "So, Hide," he seethed through gritted teeth. "I'm a monster, and you're a monster. We're two of a kind, born of our hatred and insecurities."

"Yes, Taka-kun," Hideaki growled. "Don't hold anything back! Don't you dare hold anything back!"

"Don't worry about it," Takashi responded, drawing the Shinryo-kin from its holster, its stark white blade and golden-bronze crosshilt already beginning to glow red with flame. "All monsters should go to hell. If that's my fate . . ." His eyes again glowed with the red light of eight years ago, and the guttural voice returned. "Then I'll drag you down with me!"

The two opponents literally flew at each other, lightning and fire crossing and colliding across the air in showers of sparks and brimstone. Staring at the ghastly scene, Yuki clenched her fists tighter than she ever had before. If it had been up to her, the dream would have lasted for at least a little while longer. However, the time for dreams was over, and choice was now at hand.

Yuki gazed upward into the night sky, faint words making their way past her lips. "Wind guides lightning across the sky and lightning strikes the earth. Lightning, opposed as it is to wood, creates the fire. . ." She bowed her head. "That consumes them both . . ."

>>>

"No, Hideaki," Raijin muttered, putting a hand to his mask. "First the sword, then your vengeance. Do not forget your priorities, my student . . ."

The ancient raiju barely turned in time to draw his katana and deflect a sudden attack from Jiro with a sharp clang.

"Dammit!" the sword master cursed, already feeling the High Yaen Master's strength beginning to push him back.

"What is this?" Raijin questioned rather calmly. "You dare to bite the hand that feeds you?" The eyes of the mask glowed with orange light. "Surrender to the covenant within your blood."

Jiro showed nary a hint of compliance, repelling Raijin's blade and making another strike that, to his dismay, was also blocked.

"I hadn't noticed it before," the High Yaen Master commented. "But I cannot sense you as I do Hideaki and Wild Card. You never drank of the Ryuketsu, did you?"

"Bingo." Jiro responded matter-of-factly. "Sure doesn't take much to act like one of your mindless cronies, you know?"

Raijin shook his masked head in exasperation, his mane of white hair swaying left and right. "This is pointless, my student. You are only allowing the delicate situation below to spiral even further out of control."

"Delicate?" Jiro questioned, fighting against his sensei's impressive strength. "What exactly is delicate about Jeffy's student and yours butting heads?"

"I never told you, did I?" Raijin responded. "Do you have any idea what is really going on here?"

"Enlighten me, and I might not finish you for a few more minutes." Jiro growled.

Raijin again shook his head. "Doesn't anything about this situation seem strange to you: people going berserk when they take hold of that broadsword, my mask controlling this liquid that in turn controls whoever drinks of it?"

Jiro glanced to the side for a moment. "Well, to be completely honest, it does rank a little higher than most of the weird shit I've seen in my lifetime, and few things get stranger than being taught in the way of the sword by a guy with cat ears, believe you me."

Raijin smiled underneath his mask. "Maybe it would help to know that Ueda Takashi's broadsword is the Kusanagi."

"Is that so?" Jiro remarked sarcastically. "Well, I hope for sure that someone enters that in the annual 'Cool Sword Names Contest', even if it isn't all that original." It took more than a few moments of silence for the gears in Jiro's head to turn once more. "Wait, you mean **the** Kusanagi?"

Raijin nodded. "The very same blade taken from the tailbone of the Ancient Death Dragon by Susano himself." He waited for that to sink in before continuing. "The Kusanagi is the dragon's tail, the Ryuketsu is its blood, and this mask is made from its skull."

"Oh man," Jiro commented. "You have got to be kidding . . ."

"They were quite hard to collect," Raijin continued. "But now, the revival of that most ancient power is at hand!"

"Takashi," Jiro realized. "He can't control the Kusanagi because of the dragon's spirit, can he?"

"If only he'd realized that sooner," the High Yaen Master responded. "He just might have lived through tonight."

>>>

Kumo had been in control of the confrontation up until now. Presently, however, he found himself driven to the point of desperation. The ninja fought with every bit of his strength, his eyes glowing yellow with effort, but each attempt to get past Itagaki Noriko proved more futile than the last.

"Megumi!" he cried out as Noriko again pushed him back toward the woods. "Hold on!"

Noriko smiled upon nearly relieving Kumo of his weapon. "You should worry about yourself, you yellow-eyed freak show."

Fuji, in the meantime, was using all of his concentration to keep the Truth Seal in place. As Megumi and Tanuki's spirit began to move closer together, the kunoichi fought against the o-fude magic as if her life were at stake.

"Stop it!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Don't do this to me! You can't! How could you do this to another human being? That raccoon dog is just an animal!"

"Oh yeah?" Fuji returned, sweat pouring from his brow as he held his hand out at the o-fude. "And just what was my mother to you? Another notch on the old tanto?"

"I'll kill you!" Megumi screeched wildly. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!"

"Oh," Fuji replied. "So my mother was an animal to you too."

Megumi's spirit collided with that of the raccoon dog in yet another blinding flash of light. It was all Fuji could do just to keep the spirit energy from flying everywhere.

"Megu!" Kumo shouted, again leaping forward. This time, it was a terrible mistake.

Another flash of light occurred, this one much brighter than the last since it was from the Fan of Uzume. The ninja clutched wildly at his face, a constant stream of curses uttering from his mouth.

"Damn you!" he cried. "Damn you, apprentice! Damn you to hell!"

Noriko raised the Amatsuotome for the finishing blow mere seconds before the ninja detonated every smoke bomb in his possession. The swordswoman slashed wildly at the deluge, but Kumo was already gone.

"Damn," Noriko muttered. "Completely vanished." She stared at the strange confrontation between spirits taking place in front of the apprentice for a moment before making an offer. "You, uh, need any help there, Fuji?"

"No thanks," Fuji replied, retracting the Fan of Uzume and pointing toward the red glow at the shrine that cast light over the entire area. "You should go see what's going on up there. It looks like Takashi may need more help than I could possibly offer."

"You sure?" Noriko questioned.

"Don't worry about it," the apprentice smiled. "As our favorite ronin would say, I've got this bitch."

Noriko smiled in return and began to make her way up the long stairway to the shrine grounds. That Fuji had changed a lot in such a short time. _One day_, the swordswoman thought to herself. _He could be a great warrior_.

>>>

The powers of the Kusanagi and Ikazuchi were unreal. The great broadsword propelled Takashi across the sky like a puppet enveloped in fire. The massive spherical hellstorm that the ronin had become barreled across the ruins, casting both lightning and flame aside in its wake as it sought after Hideaki's life. The raiju himself laughed like a madman, repelling Takashi away with the tornado-like Ikazuchi and striking with extreme ferocity.

"Yes!" Hideaki shouted at the top of his lungs. "This is the monster! This is what destroyed my life all those years ago! How do you like me now? How do you like it now that I can fight back, eh? Eh? Ha-ha!"

The raiju launched himself upward, colliding with the fireball in a thundering cascade of energy and sparks. The two opposing titans fell to the center of the ruins, their impact obliterating everything in the area.

"_Motto_!" Hideaki cried. "_Motto motto_!"

Yuki observed the battle from a distance, tears streaming down her cheeks, both hands resting comfortably on the handle of the Kamikaze-ken. Huge clouds of dust and debris flew by as she kept her eyes locked on the epic confrontation. Soon enough, the moment would come.

The Ikazuchi swung out in a wide arc across the ruins, electricity still crackling and launching from the weapon. Takashi blocked the strike with the Kusanagi, but the force of the blow still propelled him backward several meters as the Ikazuchi continued onward, demolishing entire buildings in its wake. Hideaki used the momentum of the massive chain to launch himself once again into the air. Raising both hands above his head, he readied himself to counter Takashi's next assault. Sure enough, flames again enveloped the ronin and he flew straight at the airborne raiju, broadsword pointed down in preparation for an upward swipe.

"Now, Taka-kun," Hideaki cried. "You see your death! The soul of Komo Town shall be avenged!"

It was more than obvious that the raiju's chain would run Takashi through on his current trajectory, but the ronin was not in his right mind. After what seemed like an eternity, he came within range of the Ikazuchi. Hideaki launched the weapon forward with an ecstatic shout of unadulterated glee.

There was a sickening impact noise, wet and soppy in nature, followed by complete and utter silence. Both flame and lightning dissipated from the air as Takashi and Hideaki slowly returned to the ground, frozen in position. The red light had left the ronin's eyes, and the raiju's face had contorted in sheer horror. Takashi breathed only one word.

"Yuki?"

Hideaki withdrew his chain from the center of his sister's body with another sickening squelch, screaming like a feral beast and clawing at his own head, ripping out large tufts of hair in the process. Takashi caught Yuki's body as it fell, a gaping hole in her midsection bleeding profusely.

"It hurts," the catgirl whispered, blood seeping from her mouth. "It hurts a lot more . . . than I thought it would . . ."

Tears sprang forth unbidden from Takashi's eyes as he cradled her broken form. "Why, Yuki? Why?"

Yuki touched a delicate hand to the ronin's cheek. "You would have died, Taka-kun. The spirit in that blade would have consumed you, and you would have disappeared from this world." Just seeing the sadness in Takashi's face caused tears to well in her own eyes. "I wasn't destined to live past this day, Taka-kun, but you were meant for so much more, I know it."

The ronin broke into fitful sobs, unable to restrain his grief.

"Don't cry," Yuki pleaded. "I'm not sad. I got to experience such wonderful things with you, Taka-kun. My dreams came true, even if only for a short while." The warmest smile Takashi had ever witnessed spread its way across Yuki's face. "If you need to feel happy again, just remember those moments." Despite the pain, she leaned forward and kissed the ronin on the cheek, whispering her last words close to his ear.

"I love you, Taka-kun. You made this life . . . worth all the pain . . . it ever . . . held . . ."

>>>

To Fuji's great surprise, Megumi's face again emerged from the whirlwind of light that had enveloped both the kunoichi and the tanuki.

"_Onegai_!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Don't! Please!"

Fuji grimaced. "Consider this my farewell."

The apprentice lunged forward, forcing all of his concentration into the o-fude spell. Megumi gave one final cry before the light-storm exploded outward, throwing all three participants in different directions.

After a time, the dust began to settle, and Fuji picked his sore and tired body up off the ground. Obeying his very first instinct, the apprentice turned toward the prone body of Tanizaki Megumi. Tentatively, he shook her by the shoulder.

"Hey, which one of you is this?"

The kunoichi's body turned toward the apprentice and smiled. "You did it, Fuji."

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Fuji sighed with relief. "Oh man, I can't believe that actually worked. So, what do I call you now?"

The kunoichi's hand shot up like lightning, grasping the apprentice's throat in a choke hold and bringing him close. "You can call me 'One Pissed-Off Ninja', you lousy spell-casting bastard!"

Throwing Fuji aside like a rag doll, Megumi retrieved one of her tantos, twirling it expertly and with great relish. "You really had me worried for a moment there," she admitted. "But that was only because I forgot for a moment just what a screw-up you really are." The kunoichi smiled widely. "The time for conversation is over, though. Prepare to die a fool's death, apprentice."

The shocked Fuji attempted to draw the Fan of Uzume in time to block, only to realize that the weapon was missing from his obi, having dropped off at some point during his struggle with the o-fude charm. All the apprentice could do was stare in horror as Megumi raised the glinting orange tanto to administer the final blow.

The kunoichi's eyes gleamed with madness. "Consider this my farewell, Yamamoto Fuji. Both from me, and from my sister!"

>>>

Though soft as she always had been, Takashi could feel the cold chill of death as it made its way through every vein in Yuki's body. He carefully laid the girl's body on the ground and faced the unstable Hideaki, who had begun to absorb himself in nonsensical chants of combined grief and panic.

"Hideaki."

The raiju looked up toward Takashi with guilt in his eyes. "Taka-kun? What have I done?" However, the guilt left as quickly as it had appeared, replaced again by madness. "No, no, what have **you** done? It's your fault, Taka-kun! What did you do to my sister!" Hideaki picked up the Ikazuchi once again, leveling the arm it was stationed on at the ronin. "I'll make you pay! You'll pay for taking everything from me!"

Takashi simply shook his head. He was about to respond when he felt the handle of the Kusanagi edging its way into his grip. At first, he tried to pull back, but an overwhelming aura of calmness overtook him. Somehow, Takashi thought he could still hear Yuki's voice.

"This is my gift to you, Taka-kun. One spirit is not enough to quell the Kusanagi's fury, but I will protect you, now and always."

Understanding fully, Takashi raised the gigantic Kusanagi single-handedly and aimed the blade straight at the insane Hideaki.

"Come," the ronin challenged. "Let us dance once more for the girl we both loved."

(End Chapter Twenty-Three)


	27. Birth

The weather was absolutely beautiful. Luscious green grass swayed in the breeze. A cloudless sky shone above. Rolling hills overshadowed by the majesty of Mt. Gozaisho curved gracefully over the horizon. Despite the idyllic scenery, however, Ueda Takashi was having a bit of difficulty. After all, it wasn't any common event for an eight-year-old boy to find a pair of demons near his hometown.

"Hey," he greeted, extending his hand to the two raiju demons huddled against the tree on the edge of the woods. "Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you."

Unfortunately for the boy, he had taken the situation in backwards and was totally unprepared when the older of the two, a healthy male, lashed out at him with fangs bared.

The apprentice exploded from the grassy overhang at a breakneck pace, poising his hand for the proper movement to unleash the Fan of Uzume's secret power. He dared not slow down, since his survival instincts would grind him to a sudden halt if he relented even for a second. The ninja was a stark black target straight ahead, seemingly unaware of Fuji's presence until the apprentice shouted at the top of his lungs and prepared to strike. It was at that moment that Fuji's hand chose to lose it's grip on the fan.

The soft plop of the fan hitting the ground was like a gong in Fuji's head. Of all the times to screw things up! But there was no going back. The ninja seemed to freeze at the sight of the charging apprentice, and that was all Fuji needed. He threw himself forward, both arms extended to go for the neck of his opponent. Despite the mist of battle that clouded his eyes, Fuji suddenly noticed something that caused him to hesitate and drop his arms. The ninja was a girl?

"Look, would you hold still?"

Takashi attempted to comply with the male raiju's request, even though the wound his cheek stung every time the demon touched it with that strange leafy poultice.

"Trust me," the older raiju instructed. "This will make it heal a lot faster."

"Still hurts." Takashi mumbled.

The younger female raiju laughed. "He's so cute, Hideaki. Why'd you go and do that to him?"

Hideaki sighed heavily. "You can't just trust every human you come across, Yuki."

After letting the male finish his work, Takashi turned to the pair, his face looking comically inflated with the large bandage on its right side. "So, where do you two live?"

Yuki looked downward. "We don't really have a home."

"Quiet!" Hideaki cautioned. "It's not for us to accept charity from humans."

"Hey," Takashi interrupted. "I'm not trying to give you 'charity' or anything. I'm not even sure I know what that word means; I was just kind of wondering something."

"Hm?" Hideaki mused. "Like what?"

The apprentice forced his burning muscles to work again and he slowly regained his former pace running alongside Megumi. After a couple of revolutions around Noriko and Jeffy, who were apparently engaged in a conversation that Fuji found difficult to discern, he noticed something curious.

"Megumi-san?" he half-whispered just before the song began again in earnest.

"Up in the mornin' to the ri-sing sun!" Takashi shouted above their quiet chatter.

"What's up?" Megumi responded in a cheery, quick response.

"Up in the mornin' to the ri-sing sun!" the pair of trainees quickly responded.

Fuji gave her a disbelieving look. "You . . . you don't seem very . . . tired."

"Gonna run all day till the runnin's done!" the ronin shouted as his hand moved unnoticed toward the _bokken_ at his side.

Megumi smiled almost ridiculously. "It's not really that hard for some reason."

"Gonna run all day till the runnin's done!"

The apprentice suddenly recalled what Noriko had said earlier. "It's probably because you've had ninja training, right?"

A disproportionately confused look crossed Megumi's face just before Takashi changed the beat.

"Well," Takashi began, scratching the back of his head nervously. "You guys don't have a home, but at least you've got each other, right?"

"Yep!" Yuki replied cheerily. "Big brother Hide takes care of me no matter what!"

"He's probably got parents, Yuki." Hideaki advised. "He knows what that's like."

"Hmm," Takashi thought aloud. "Well, I have Taroto-san, but he's not really like a parent." The boy's eyes lit up in preparation for his request. "Actually, I wanted to know something else . . ."

Fuji sighed. "Some people place more importance on the past than on the present. As for me, if I have to judge someone's character, it would only be on what I've seen of them and nothing more, understand?"

Fuji could feel Megumi nod vigorously, even though he obviously couldn't see her. "Yes, I think so."

A long silence followed. Fuji was just beginning to nod off when Megumi's voice came over the divider.

"Hey, Fuji?"

The apprentice rose slightly from a slump. "What?"

"You said that you trust me, right?"

"Of course." Fuji replied.

"I was just wondering . . ." Takashi continued.

"Do you think . . ." Megumi wondered aloud.

"Do you think we could be friends?"

Samurai Banzai RELOAD

Final Chapter  
Birth

>>>Night - May 8, 1583

As the great fire that had consumed the ruins of the Shinto shrine began to die down at last, two incredible forces readied themselves for collision. Roiling flames once again enveloped Ueda Takashi as he poised himself for attack, the gigantic broadsword Kusanagi leveled perfectly at head height.

"Hideaki!"

The opposing raiju dove forward, snatching the fallen Kamikaze-ken from the ground and wielding it alongside the Ikazuchi. Lightning boiled in small funnels around Hideaki as the demon roared in his most feral voice.

"Taka-kun!"

With their respective auras flowing sky high, the ronin and the raiju launched forward simultaneously, flying across the ground and leaving trails of fire and lightning in their wake. Hideaki swung the massive chain at Takashi. The weapon struck the Kusanagi dead-on with such force that the blade literally split straight down the middle. However, it did not break from the hilt. The ronin spun like the wind, the first revolution shattering the Ikazuchi, the second revolution cutting Hideaki's chest wide open and cleaving the Kamikaze-ken's blade clean in half.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment as the auras of the magic blades began to wear off. Takashi stood just behind Hideaki, his blade bowed low and covered in the raiju's blue blood. Hideaki stood completely still, more blood pouring from his torso. After a few moments, the remains of the Ikazuchi and Kamikaze-ken clattered to the ground along with the body of the raiju, which hit the earth with a resounding thud.

Takashi reared the broken Kusanagi back over his head and slid the huge weapon into its scabbard, redoing the latches without a single word for his fallen opponent.

>>>

"Consider this my farewell, Yamamoto Fuji!" Megumi yelled. "From both me and my sister!"

The kunoichi raised her tanto high as Fuji brought his arms up in defense . . . and nothing happened. The apprentice lowered his arms to witness a strange sight. Megumi still stood poised to kill him, but she could only stare dumbfounded at the orange blade of her remaining tanto sticking straight out of her chest.

Even more interesting, however, was the culprit of this act. Behind the kunoichi stood a young girl just a few years older than Yuki had been in appearance. Her eyes were the same color as the ninja's weapons; her hair fell past her thighs in crimson locks that, thankfully for Fuji, covered most of her body. She thrust the tanto even harder into Megumi, causing the kunoichi to drop her weapon and arch backward in pain.

Tears dropped from Megumi's eyes as she addressed her attacker. "Who are you? What the hell are you doing?"

The girl stared at Megumi with hatred. "My name is Caitlyn Pilazzo, and I'm keeping your filthy hands off my brother!"

Caitlyn withdrew the blade from the ninja's torso, releasing a font of blood from the aperture. Megumi died wordlessly, slumping forward and hitting the forest floor with a near-silent crash. Upon seeing her deed's completion, Caitlyn dropped her tanto as well, suddenly kneeling as if exhausted.

Still wracked with surprise, Fuji took several moments to respond. He dashed over to the girl, quickly removing his gi and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"You-you're my sister?" the apprentice stammered.

Caitlyn smiled strangely. "Yeah, sorry that I couldn't tell you before. I didn't even remember it myself until I got this body back."

"Speaking of," Fuji began to question. "How did that happen? I only used a Truth Seal."

"That's why it happened." his sister responded. "I was changed into that form during the accident 16 years ago, and it caused me to lose my memory little by little. All that was needed to return me to my original body was your Truth Seal." This statement was followed by a heavy yawn. "Actually, I don't think this is all that good a time to talk about it; I'm feeling really . . . sleepy . . ."

As the girl quickly passed out in his arms, Fuji heard the telltale rhythmic rustle of crutches in the underbrush. "Jeffy-sensei?"

"Yo." the sword master greeted as he rounded the corner into the clearing. "Did I miss all the action?"

Fuji looked upward to see that the fire about had died down. "I think so. Noriko went up there to help Takashi and Yuki out."

"So," Jeffy stated. "Who's this young lady? You already making the moves on helpless victims?"

Fuji waved his hands dismissively. "Long story, Jeffy-sensei."

The Yaen Master raised an eyebrow. "Okay, well what about that thing Noriko needed your help for last night? What did she want, anyway?"

"Oh, that," Fuji recalled. "I don't think we really needed it, but I painted some o-fude charms on her skin to help out in the battle."

"Is that so?" Jeffy questioned. "How would those help her?"

The apprentice rose to his feet and fished inside his obi for a moment before presenting the Yaen Master with a scroll. "It should all be here. Something about a long-lost sword art."

Jeffy opened the scroll and scanned it quickly, his eyes coming to rest near the bottom. "Kenji-seijin?" His eyes suddenly widened to extreme proportions. "What the hell? Do you know what this is, Fuji?"

The apprentice was taken aback. "Um, I just assumed it to be what Noriko said. Why?"

Jeffy rewrapped the scroll, stuffing it into his travel sack and pointing toward Caitlyn. "Get the girl on your shoulders and get ready to run. We've got to get to the summit!"

Knowing better than to question his teacher, Fuji quickly began to pick up his sister's limp form.

Jeffy sighed heavily. "You'd better hope that the action really is over, Fuji. Otherwise, Noriko is as good as dead."

>>>

It was quiet when Noriko reached the entry to the shrine grounds, deathly quiet. Small fires burned here and there; most of the buildings had been completely leveled. The swordswoman walked cautiously through the rubble, noting various red and blue bloodstains and the charred bodies of two town guardsmen before sighting a deep shade of violet that could only belong to Takashi.

Noriko quickened her pace, but slowed considerably as the entire scene came into focus. The ronin before her was the absolute picture of grief, choking on sobs as he cradled the a limp and bloody form that reminded Noriko far too much of Yuki to be anyone else.

"Wake up, Yuki . . ." Takashi mumbled, causing Noriko to lean in closer so she could hear. "Please, wake up . . . Say something . . . "

When the ronin looked up, Noriko's heart skipped a beat. His face was gaunt, nearly dead in appearance. Tears had created deep furrows in his cheeks, with salt deposits nearly clouding his empty eyes. To be honest, the swordswoman had never seen anything like this.

"Noriko . . ." Takashi pleaded. "I can't get her to wake up . . . I can't get Yuki-chan back!"

The ronin completely broke down at this point, fresh sobs coursing their way through his body, unbidden by the chains that hold a person's feelings back from the world. Noriko couldn't think of anything to do other than put her arms around the grieving Takashi, allowing him to cry into her shoulder. She didn't say a word, not so much because she couldn't think of something to say, but because there was nothing she could say. Nothing would help more than her simply being there.

Despite that intent, however, the ronin and the swordswoman nearly flew apart when a lightning bolt arced out over their heads and struck a lone upright building, blowing the structure into splinters. They both turned to the source to see Hideaki's body rising unnaturally from the ground, the Ikazuchi sliding its way inside his chest through the opening made by the Kusanagi. The undead raiju's entire body glowed with bluish lightning, his eyes casting light in every direction and his dead voice booming out over the entire area.

"TAKA-KUN! TAKA-KUN! TASUKETE, TAKA-KUN!"

Takashi had just risen to his feet and drawn the remnants of the Kusanagi when a huge lightning bolt flew out of Hideaki's body and struck the ronin full in the chest. Takashi literally flew backwards, his body impacting on the residential quarters, causing the structure to completely collapse inward. The ronin was visible, but he had passed out of consciousness.

Noriko turned toward the lightning-imbued creature and silently drew the Amatsuotome, fear beating its way through her chest as Hideaki continued to scream for help.

"TASUKETE! TASUKETE!"

>>>

Raijin clutched his head and began shouting madly, causing Jiro to stop in his tracks. To both men's surprise, the bone mask simply split down the middle, the two halves falling to the ground with a hollow clatter. Shocked, but unwilling to let this chance go by, Jiro rushed forward, impaling the frozen Raijin on his polished katana. Even with the blade already inside him, the High Yaen Master attempted a counterattack, only to have Jiro remove that katana from his grasp and run him through with it as well. The raiju toppled forward onto Jiro, still attempting to speak.

"Jiro, Jiro you have to listen . . ."

Now that the man was dying, the sword master didn't see any point in ignoring him. "Go ahead."

Raijin gasped raggedly for breath. "You can't let this happen, Jiro! The dragon, it cannot awaken yet; it is too early! Someone must . . . stop . . .Hide . . .aki . . ."

When silence followed, Jiro allowed the old demon to fall completely, his lifeblood spilling all over the ground. Wiping his katana clean, Jiro sheathed it and stared at the body of his one-time sensei.

"What the . . ." the sword master mumbled mostly to himself.

Strapped to Raijin's right side was the very same sake jug that had been a part of their mutual promise so many years back. Jiro respectfully removed it and uncorked the top.

"Here's to you, old man," the sword master stated. "To the Raijin who used to be . . ."

>>>

Fuji and Jeffy arrived at the summit to see the lightning-infused Hideaki trudging slowly toward Noriko.

"Oh no," Jeffy commented just before noticing Takashi's limp form in the wreckage of a building to the left. Pointing in that direction, he called out to Fuji. "I'll take care of Takashi, you justget Noriko out of there, got me?"

Fuji nodded, lowering the exhausted Caitlyn to the ground and rushing to the swordswoman's location. He stopped for a moment to check Jeffy's progress with Takashi before putting a hand to Noriko's shoulder.

"Come on!" he summoned. "We've got to get out of here!"

The swordswoman did not even budge.

"Hey, Noriko!" Fuji shouted as Jeffy hauled the Takashi's limp form back toward the entrance. "Can you hear me? We've got to go!"

"You're not a tool." the girl remarked almost off-handedly.

"Huh?" the apprentice questioned.

Noriko turned her gaze toward Fuji, a weak smile on her face. "I'm not using you; you're not just a tool to me; none of you are."

"Hey, I know that." Fuji replied hurredly. "But listen, you can't-"

"I would cry," the swordswoman continued, ignoring Fuji's pleas. "I would cry if one of you died. That's why . . ." She turned back toward the raging Hideaki. "I have to do this."

Noriko placed both hands on the Amatsuotome's grip, bowing her head low in preparation for the coming incantation. The words left her mouth in a manner Fuji was not familiar with; it sounded like a totally different person saying them.

I send this plea to the kami of old

To the sun above and the earth below

For power unwanted since time began

Tragedy and loneliness hand in hand

The very ground began to tremble at Noriko's words. The o-fude symbols written on her skin glowed in a pale bluish light that became increasingly bright over time.

You who are cursed for your malignant deeds

Unlock this power in our time of need

Not for myself, but for another's life

I plead with the intent to end this strife

The symbols became so bright that they literally leapt from Noriko's body to hang in midair, continuing to glow with a transparent light as they circled the swordswoman's poised form in dizzying fashion. Quite simply, Fuji couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Knowing the danger and the risk entailed

Awarded this power, I shall not fail

Unlock the potential within us all

Hope beyond dreams that heeds the hero's call!

The glowing symbols converged on Noriko and . . . nothing happened. Hideaki threw a massive lightning bolt at the swordswoman in response to her incantation that most assuredly would have ended her life had Fuji been one second too late in making a diving tackle that just barely removed them both from the path of the beam.

"What the hell?" Noriko gasped as the apprentice on top of her gritted his teeth at the pain resulting from where the lightning had singed his backside. "Why didn't it work?"

"It can't." Fuji breathed, almost laughing at the irony of it all. "It's just like I thought; the break o-fude are one big pack of lies! I really wish Genji could see this!"

"What are you talking about!" Noriko shouted, regaining her voice. "Why didn't you tell me if you knew!"

"I didn't, at least, I wasn't totally sure until now." Fuji responded, his own speech gaining a certain level of calm. "Still, we don't have time to talk about it." The apprentice's eyes couldn't have been more serious. "Go, join the others."

Noriko was about to protest when Fuji calmly placed a finger over her lips. "Don't argue; go. I'll be right behind you."

Hesitating only for a second, the swordswoman bolted for Jeffy, Caitlyn, and Takashi's location at the shrine's entryway. Turning to check on Fuji, she cursed inwardly. She had allowed her shock to overcome what she knew about the foolhardy nature of men.

Fuji stood directly in the path of the advancing Hideaki, lightning flashing all about the apprentice as the demon stared straight through him.

"TASUKETE! TASUKETE!." Hideaki's dark voice echoed across the night sky.

To everyone's surprise, Fuji was actually smiling. "You know," the apprentice uttered shakily. "I really am afraid of you. After all, who wouldn't be?" Fuji continued to babble needlessly on, even as the distance between he and the undead raiju closed to a matter of only a few feet. "After all, what can a guy like me do if even Takashi and Noriko are no match for you? You'd probably destroy me without so much as a thought."

"TAKA-KUN!" the glowing Hideaki called out, heedless of the apprentice's hollow words. "TASUKETE!"

"What is he doing?" Noriko questioned with great apprehension. "Is he insane?"

"Perhaps he is trying to buy us time to escape," Jeffy theorized with more than a little doubt. "In that case, does he have any value for his own life?"

Unable to proceed any further with Fuji blocking his path, Hideaki fired yet another gargantuan bold of lightning at the apprentice.

"Fuji!" Noriko and Jeffy cried out simultaneously just before a blinding flash caused them to shield their eyes.

What the two warriors saw next was nothing short of miraculous. The lightning cast by Hideaki seemed to bend around Fuji, almost as if there were an invisible shield in its way. What the witnesses could not see, however, was that Fuji's right eye had shifted into its unusual red form, with triangles rotating on black circles all fixed directly on the surprised raiju in front of him.

Lightning bolts continued to issue forth from Hideaki's fists, but the raiju's expression became more and more lucid with each passing moment as he stared directly into Fuji's deformed eye. Soon enough, new words began to make their way past the lips that had once belonged to Hideaki.

"You . . . You are . . . me . . ."

"Funny," Fuji grinned. "I seem to know your name too, Ortus."

The ground just north of the raiju's location exploded upwards in a massive shower of earth and rock. The hand of a giant became visible in the debris, soon followed by its twin. Together, the arms hoisted a massive body above the ground that possessed the head of a dragon and the torso of a man. The entire beast was encased in gleaming metallic armor with black, vulcanized rubber filling in the joints. It arced its head skyward and howled with an artificial voice that echoed off its very insides before nearly busting the eardrums of everyone present for the unbelievable spectacle.

"Incredible!" a voice within Hideaki laughed, this one entirely different from any the raiju's vocal chords could have produced. "I don't believe it! Of all people, you're the Original!" Even as the mechanical beast whirled its glowing blue gaze on the undead raiju, the voice continued to laugh hysterically. "No wonder the Proto Insurgis is here! It all makes perfect sense!"

Hideaki made no attempt to dodge as the machine bent low with a grinding noise and snatched the raiju off his feet in its powerful grip. The beast closed both metallic hands around the maniac and pressed inward. As blood began to issue forth from the war machine's closed fists, the mysterious voice delivered one final message.

"It won't do you any good, though, so savor it while you can! Now that I have been awakened once again, there is no reversing the destiny of mankind! Their pitiful existence couldn't stop me before, and their infantile plans make little difference now-"

Any further exultation was cut off sharply when the mechanical beast literally broke Hideaki's body in half with a wet snap. The body of the raiju began to disintegrate slowly into myriad motes of light as the haunting voice faded away into the night sky. When the undead form had disappeared completely, the ground began to tremble with increasing ferocity. In another massive shower of earth, the beast summoned by Fuji's peril vanished, leaving only a massive crater in its wake. The apprentice himself was flat on his back amidst the debris, blood seeping out from beneath the closed lid of his right eye, salt-laced tears streaming from the other.

_No more running away_, Fuji thought as relentless stabs of searing pain drove his mind from consciousness. _Not from anyone . . . not from anything . . . _

I won't run away anymore.

(End Final Chapter)


	28. Epilogue

Epilogue

>>>Morning - May 10, 1583

Two days after the events at the summit of Mt. Gozaisho, three tombstones adorned the cliff above the Yunoyama Onsen. They were a simple affair, truthfully, but Takashi was still grateful to Nobumitsu and the townspeople for their help. At the moment, the ronin knelt over the grave belonging to Yuki, his hand touching the cool grass as it swayed in the sweet morning breeze. Birdsong twittered above as warm sunlight beat down upon Takashi's back, offering what little solace it could to the ronin's wounds, both inside and out.

It had taken some time for Takashi to get used to the idea, but now that he had calmed down somewhat, he liked this spot. Its beauty, however, almost seemed like a vain attempt by nature to imitate that which belonged to Yuki. A single tear made its way down the ronin's left cheek. He hoped that she liked this place too, a beautiful spot that overlooked the onsen and, in the distance, New Komo Town. It almost felt like memories could gather here, memories of their time together.

Takashi rose slowly from his knees, dusting off the bottom of his hakama and glancing at the other graves. One belonged to Fuji's mother, May, and the other to Yuki's misguided brother, Hideaki. There had also been a grave made for Megumi's body, but it had been left unmarked but for a single stone. After all, there was nothing to say for such a woman, at least, nothing redeemable. In some strange way, however, Takashi hoped that she could find peace in the afterlife as well.

The ronin's thoughts were disturbed by the rhythmic thumps of Anakouji Jeffery's crutches as the sword master made his way up the slope toward the graves.

"Morning, student," Jeffy greeted.

Takashi turned and smiled at the elderly man. "Hello, sensei. What brings you up here?"

"What brings me up here?" Jeffy laughed. "What about you, hanging about this place like you'll never leave? I came to get you; no point in staying around here too much longer."

The ronin looked downcast. "We're leaving? Where to?"

The sword master slapped him hard on the back. "Listen to you, sounding so depressed! Lighten up! We're off to my place for intensive training."

"Huh?" Takashi questioned. "I thought I had completed my training years ago."

"Well," Jeffy began to reply. "That's true in a way, but as far as the Yaen Style is concerned, you only learned the basics. There are things about this sword school that I never taught you, simply because they wouldn't be necessary, at least, against mortal foes anyway." The sword master raised an eyebrow. "However, seeing as you have an unusual propensity to attract supernatural forces, I think we can both agree that you need to add a little more 'oomph' to your repertoire."

The ronin laughed slightly. "'Oomph'? I'm practically dying to know what you mean by that, but what about the others?"

"Oh, them?" Jeffy recalled. "They left hours ago."

"Say what?" Takashi exclaimed. "Why? Where?"

Jeffy chuckled. "Sometimes, people have their own problems to take care of, Takashi. Noriko wasn't too clear about her intent, but she was headed north; maybe she decided to go home. As for Fuji . . ." The sword master withdrew a parchment from his kimono. "He left this for you."

The ronin took hold of the paper, unfolding it and looking over the words inscribed. "A letter?"

>>>

Dear Takashi,

First of all, I wanted to apologize. In that battle above the mountain, I feel like I could have done something more, something faster, or something altogether different alter its tragic course. However, since I am by no means a warrior of any skill, I cannot determine what that might have been at this time. In any case, I am sorry for your loss, and that is one of the reasons that I left early this morning.

I learned a lot about myself during my travels with you and the others. I learned of my true origins, of another name, and even gained a sister, strange as the circumstances were. Because of all this, I have a lot I need to come to terms with. I know you have a lot of questions as well, so I'll try to find the answers for you. My first stop will be the Grand Shrine of Ise, where I hope to find out more about what caused Caitlyn to become trapped inside the body of a tanuki, and also about the whereabouts of my father, if he is indeed still alive. You might want to come and visit me, but I'd advise you not to. My journey may take me even farther, perhaps across the seas to the places my parents came from. For a time, I want to learn about the person named Rafael Pilazzo and how he has become a part of the person named Yamamoto Fuji.

One day, I'll find you again. I'd like to think that what we talked about that day at the Yunoyama Onsen wasn't simply on a spur of the moment. At least for now, I'd truly like to believe that we are friends. Not only you, but Noriko as well. I hope that the short time we shared together was as of much benefit to you as both of you were to me. For the first time, I don't feel alone in the world. For the first time, I feel like I finally have a direction to walk in. I can never forget the people who gave this to me, and I most certainly won't forget those who fought alongside me in my hour of need.

As I said, one day we will meet again. At that time, I'll tell you more about why this all happened, who I truly am, what the beast that lives in my shadow is, and most importantly . . . I'd like to finish that drink of sake with you.

Your friend,

Yamamoto Fuji

>>>

"Yeah," Takashi commented, attempting to blink back a tear that threatened to ruin his badass nature more than it already had been. "That sounds like him alright." Suddenly, a thought occurred to the ronin. "Aw, crap!"

"Hm?" Jeffy questioned. "What's up?"

"That black book that Fuji dropped yesterday!" Takashi exclaimed. "You remembered to give it back to him, right?"

Jeffy smiled. "Well, I slipped it back into his travel sack where it probably belonged in the first place."

"Jeez," Takashi sighed. "He said it belonged to his father, right? Imagine how pissed he'd be if he accidentally lost it here of all places."

As the two men made their way back down the slopes of Mt. Gozaisho, Jeffy couldn't help but comment further on the object. "You know, it's actually quite an interesting read, but I'll be darned if it makes any practical sense."

"Huh?" was all the ronin could think to say. "What's it about anyway?"

Jeffy shook his head. "Can't really say for sure. My interpretation of the language it was written in is pretty shoddy."

"Listen to you," Takashi jested. "I once heard you say that you could speak any language known to man."

"Any language that's still used, student." the sword master corrected before reciting the opening lines of the book.

"_In principo creavit Deus caelum et terram_."

Jeffy smiled in a strange manner. "Don't know why anyone would write a book in Latin these days, but, to each his own, as they say.

>>>Afternoon - May 10, 1583

For a place referred to as "Grand", the Ise Shrine was not at all spectacular in appearance. Indeed, the buildings were large and beautiful, but in a simplistic manner that mimicked the essence of nature itself. Wood, tile, shingle, and pavement combined in a tapestry of brown, white, and pale gray that overlooked the town below.

The girl who stood near the shrine entryway gazing off into the sunset was not ordinary by any means. If one were to go simply by her style of dress, they would assume her to be one of the miko, or shrine maidens. A simple white kimono and red hakama attested to this fact. However, there was something very odd about her. At first, it was difficult to place, but with the elderly High Priest Yamamoto Genji standing beside her, the difference was clear. With skin that dark, she was not of Japanese origin.

"Mitsune?"

The shrine maiden turned in surprise only to stare into the warm features of the high priest. "Oh, Yamamoto-san! You scared me."

"Hmm, frightening am I?" the man clothed in a very similar manner to Fuji responded, his gray hair and long beard swaying in the breeze. "That's certainly something you don't hear everyday." As Mitsune turned back toward the sunset, Genji decided to pose a more serious question. "What do you suppose your brother Kumo is up to?"

The girl shook her head, dark locks of short black hair shifting with the motion. "Actually, he wasn't the one I was thinking about."

"Ah, Fuji then?" the high priest questioned.

A slight blush crossed the miko's face. "Yes."

Genji sighed heavily. "I must admit, I never thought much of the boy's destiny before. Now, it seems as if a weight all too heavy has been placed on his shoulders."

"Don't worry," Mitsune advised. "I know him; he can handle a lot more than people seem to think he can. He was cut from a pretty decent mold, after all."

Genji smiled. "Flattery gets you nowhere, missy. Anyways, I'd best be off."

As the high priest made his way back toward the shrine grounds, Mitsune's stark emerald eyes peered off into the reddened hues of the horizon. The shades of crimson only served as a reminder of the blood that had been spilt two days ago atop the mountain just barely visible in the distance.

_I wish_, Mitsune thought to herself. _I wish that the burden were not his to carry . . ._

>>>

Shisho Kumo had found himself unable to walk any further quite some time ago. His heart ached with grief for his fallen friend, and his mind continually clouded over with dread at the prospect of what was sure to happen all too soon. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard the deceptively quiet footsteps of . . . her.

The ninja looked up into the deadened eyes of his master, a woman whom he never would have chosen to serve had he known better. Both of their eyes glowed the same shade of golden yellow, but tears only emerged from those belonging to Kumo.

"Come, my servant." the woman of shadows beckoned. "We have much work to do."

(End Samurai Banzai RELOAD)

Foreign Dialogue and Terms (in order of appearance):

In principo . . . - "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." - Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1 of the Vulgate, or Latin Bible.

Author's Notes:

This fanfiction is being done with permission by the creator of the Samurai Banzai webcomic as a sort of "alternate take" on the series concept (think like how an anime changes when converted from an OVA to a TV series and vice versa). It's important to remember that although SBR is a based on Samurai Banzai, all of the characters have been reworked, the plot is completely different, and this is obviously not intended as pure comedy (or pure anything, really). None of the events that transpire in this fanfiction have anything to do with events that have, or will take place in the webcomic on which it is based.

The Samurai Banzai webcomic can be found at www. sbanzai. hcmrworld. com.


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